The Insanity One Can Cause II
by Sarryn
Summary: Guess what? Eryn's back, but where's Miguel? She's in Gaea and he's...
1. The Beginning of Insanity

Don't own nuthin' so sue if you want my air, but that really wouldn't be much fun after garlic soup would it? Basic unoriginal plot of death (not really, but everything has to end in death when you write a sentence). The gist of it is that modern American girl gets transported, not by a pillar of light, by what is reminiscent of hell opening under her feet when ever anyone tells her to go to hell, that, I think may, be, in some remote part of this universe, unique. I could be wrong because I often am. That and I'm easily confused by things. Read and Review, because when you do you help me help you...or something, but seriously it is nice and makes you a nice person 'cause mean people suck...no offense to any mean people that may read this. *smile*  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
Eryn Michail hummed softly while tapping her foot to the beat of her own tune. In her elegant hands was clasped the latest issue of Seventeen which her amber eyes pored over intently. To right rested a nondescript lamp upon a table stand and to her left sat her three little brothers, all of which were currently gagged and tied to their chairs. She ignored the muffled shouts and continued to thumb through the pages. She had warned them about annoying her while she watched them for her parents, but they hadn't listened...  
  
"Mmph oomph ooh!" cried Max, the oldest of the three hellions. She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised inquiringly. He repeated his muffled phrase and she pretended to misunderstand his meaning.  
  
"You want me to read this issue's latest quiz questions?" she asked innocently. When the three shook their heads vehemently she smiled sweetly and proceeded to read the questions.  
  
"One. You've just been on a killer date, but he drops you off an hour later than your curfew. Do your parents a..." she continued through the whole thing as they screamed impotently. She then moved on to the question and answer section, which featured a girl who was having problems with her menstrual cycle. By the time her parents arrived her brothers were unable to talk and left her room in a state of utter despondency.   
  
"I warned you," she sang sweetly as Max left. He turned and glared angrily at her, his green-gold eyes promising retribution.  
  
"Go to hell, Eryn," he hissed, which is precisely what she did at that moment...  
  
  
  
  
"...hell, Eryn."  
  
With a curse she landed on her butt in a place that was close enough to hell for her. Tanned, bald men were running around like crazed ants and large mecha-like things were restraining another, even larger, mecha-like thing with strange hooks. If this was some sort of sick cosmic joke she wasn't laughing. Well, actually she was, but that was because she was on the verge of a mental break down. Fortunately no one seemed to notice the black-haired, with indigo streaks, girl laughing hysterically in a corner.  
  
"Dammit, Max, where have you sent me?" she demanded softly. Her amber eyes scanned the area for any sign of familiarity. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a limping figure slip into the waiting darkness of a doorway. If her mental capacity hadn't been damaged too severely, she would guess that that person was trying not to be seen just like she should be doing. Why wasn't she? She had to think for a second about that one. With a resigned shrug she quickly followed suit.  
  
"...escape when I'm wounded?" demanded a frustrated voice. She stood in the doorway looking at a rather more than just attractive guy with dark brown hair and gray eyes. He seemed to be wearing some sort of heavy black and blue armor that had apparently seen better days. With an inward cringe she noticed the blood seeping from a deep wound in his leg.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded noticing her for the first. He tried to unsheathe the sword by his side, but was in too much pain. Before she could answer or assist him a pair of pale white hands appeared behind him.  
  
"Behind you!" she screamed in warning. He instinctively followed her command and spun around to face his attacker.   
  
"Damn you, girl," hissed the owner of the hands. The black retreated to reveal the freakiest looking thing she had never wished to see. The creature had translucent, pale flesh with tiger stripe tattoos, at least that was what they looked like to her, odd hair that was braided yet resembled tentacles almost. Despite the fact that this being was completely androgynous, lacking gender identifiable genitalia, the most disturbing aspect was the brilliant, almost glowing, green eyes.   
  
"Zongi, what the hell were you going to do?" the injured boy demanded angrily. This time he had successfully withdrawn his sword.   
  
"I can't let them know about me," the being, apparently named Zongi, replied. It became immediately obvious that he was unable to speak with a hiss in his scratchy voice.   
  
"Deceptants, you're all the same," the boy spat in contempt.   
  
"And is this the girl you spoke of earlier?" Zongi demanded pointing a claw-like appendage at her. She edged uneasily away from it, disgust and revulsion plain on her face.   
  
The boy looked her up and down brashly and shrugged his shoulders, "No, she's not, but she certainly dresses funny." Eryn's cheeks bloomed red and an angry flame burned in her amber eyes.  
  
"The latter is true," the deceptant, or whatever the guy called it, remarked with a sneer.  
  
"I wouldn't be talking, freak!" she exclaimed, fury evident in her voice, "And you...you, injured idiot, I think after saving you butt you'd be a little more appreciative!" The two before her exchanged a look of understanding that only served to raise her ire.   
  
"Girls," the boy remarked as if by that simple word the reasons for her outburst were completely revealed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and, with a devious idea in her mind, she realized she still possessed her magazine. Unobtrusively she quickly rolled it up and took a deep cleansing breath.   
  
The two before her had no warning as she swiftly whacked them both across the head with the rolled up magazine. They were too stunned for a moment by her vicious attack to do anything to prevent her onslaught.   
  
"What the hell?" the boy demanded. Despite his injury he managed to wrest the weapon away from her angry hands.   
  
"I think the wisest course of action would be to kill her," the freak commented angrily. The boy gave her a glance that seemed to say that he would like nothing better than to follow the freak's advice.  
  
"Don't even think of it," she warned them, trying to grab back her magazine.   
  
"I'll take care of it," the boy said with a sigh.  
  
"The hell you will!" Eryn shrieked. Whatever the hell was going on in the courtyard with the giant metal things was better than what was currently occurring here. With that in mind she made a run for it, but didn't get more than a few steps. A pair of vise-like hands grabbed her arms and wrenched them painfully back. She struggled impotently for a few moments before conceding defeat and relaxing, but that didn't mean she quit cursing vividly and imaginatively.   
  
"Shut up! Do you want them to find us?" a voice hissed in her ear. Apparently the boy had overcome his pain in order to prevent her escape.   
  
"Well, what did you really expect?" she demanded hotly, "I mean, first that freak says I should be killed then you said, all mobster like, 'I'll take care of it'!"  
  
"You misunderstood me," the boy informed her with exasperation.  
  
"I did?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"What I meant was that I'd handle you in my own way," he replied harshly.  
  
"So now I'm an object, am I? An 'it'?" she raged. He was unable to dodge the blow that followed.   
  
"I plan on escaping now; you can either shut up and come with me or stay here as a corpse," he told her coldly as he released her, obviously at the end of his patience.   
  
"Now that sounded like a threat," she retorted sardonically. She frowned angrily when he made no reply, amber eyes flashing feral gold. For the briefest of moments she considered telling him to screw himself because she wasn't going anywhere. Then common sense reasserted itself before she did something stupid. With a sigh of resignation she raised her hands in defeat.  
  
"Fine, whatever," she pouted, grabbing back her magazine from his unresisting hand.  
  
"If you two do not leave immediately and cease arguing I will kill you!" the freaky dude declared through clenched teeth.   
  
"So, what's your name?" she asked the boy politely.   
  
"Miguel Lavariel," he replied curtly to her query. "Now let's go!" With that he grabbed her arm painfully and began to drag her off.  
  
"Ow! Let go!" Eryn cried smacking him with the magazine. He growled obscenities under his breath.   
  
  
Now be a good reader and review, or many nasty and unpleasant things that I am not at liberty to discuss shall happen and you won't like them...well...you might, but then you're just weird. *smile*  



	2. The Insanity of It All and Random Acts o...

I'm so happy! I got such nice reviews that my friend said I had a "review glow". *grin* This newest effort goes out to everyone who wrote a review, nice or otherwise, unless it completely sucks then we'll just have to pretend that it never happened, 'k? Again reviews and flames are welcome, they help me, help myself. On another note Insanity is contagious. Just thought I'd be a Good Samaritan and warn y'all. On yet another note, sorry, there is one kinda sexist remark, but considering I'm a girl and trying to write, for one small section, as a boy I'm trying to be accurate with the opinions that exist there. Hey remember how Van told Hitomi that he didn't need any help from a girl? It was rude, but shows the opinions of less equal minded civilizations. Women's Rights, yyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!   
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
Eryn muttered a litany of curses under her breath as she followed the boy, whose name was apparently Miguel Something-she-had-forgotten, through the dark jungle outside of the compound behind them. Somehow they had made it past the bald men in togas/robes, now they were trekking through a place that was so not working with her hair. Nor her outfit, if truth be known. Every time she took a step her black, platform sandals sank into the soft ground, and annoying insects nipped at her bare arms and the skin revealed by her black capris. The fact that she was half supporting an injured, heavily armored soldier wasn't helping matters either. He hadn't wanted her assistance, but seeing him struggle along was just too painful to watch, albeit slightly amusing at the cost of his over-large ego. Why men refused to show their weakness and unmanliness was beyond her.  
  
"You should take your armor off," she told him in a disapproving tone of voice. He grunted indifferently, the same response he had given every other time she had told him that.   
  
"You know it'd be easier for us both if you'd take it off," she pointed out reasonably, as she adjusted the muscular arm draped over her shoulders. "For one thing it's putting stress on your injured leg, causing you unnecessary pain. For another it must be hot, so you're probably sweating like a pig under there and that means you're losing fluids you body needs," she lectured with superiority.   
  
Suddenly he stopped walking, unprepared she stumbled into him, his heavy arm falling from her weary shoulders. Slowly she looked back at him, annoyance and wariness marking her pale face. He stood there, brown hair in disarray, gray eyes seething. Without a word he began to remove his armor, his nimble fingers moving deftly. All the while he kept his gaze on her own. She felt a dark flush creep across her cheeks and her mouth dry up, but she couldn't look away. All she could think was, 'oh my god!' and 'Where's a ten when you need one?'  
  
With a casual shrug of his shoulders the last parts of his armor slid off and fell to the ground with a dull thud. Underneath he wore a sort of light blue undershirt and then there were those hot leather pants. She wasn't even going to think about that area, if she could help it.   
  
"Now that that little striptease is done, and let me be the first to say yum, what are you going to do about your wound?" she asked pointing at the blood encrusted gash on his thigh.  
  
He rolled his eyes and stripped off his shirt, now she was getting an eyeful of his well-toned chest and abdomen. This meant he was only clothed below the waist and she sure wasn't complaining about the view.   
  
With medical precision he shredded his shirt and made a makeshift bandage, all the while she ogled his rippling muscles with large amber eyes. When he finished she began to clap enthusiastically. He gave her a strange look before motioning to follow, which she did more than willingly.   
  
*****  
  
"Where is she?" asked the two adults with faltering patience.  
  
"She went to hell," the little boy with gold-green eyes replied for the thousandth time. The parents stood up and gave each other a look.  
  
"I guess we have to start paying for babysitters," said the mother with a sigh.  
  
"I'll call the police," said the father heading to the phone. Max shrugged and ran off to play video games. Eryn always was a strange girl.   
  
*****  
  
"Damn!" Eryn yelled in frustration as another branch snagged her hair. Viciously she yanked the offending lock free and then smacked the branch for good measure.  
  
"You know that was a pointless waste of violence," Miguel informed her wryly. She glared at him and the smacked him upside the head. He flinched, but didn't retaliate, fortunately for her. She had no doubt that if he wanted to he could break her like a twig, so it was a wonder why she didn't stop. Of course her brothers would say she wasn't that strong in the thinking department, before being whacked silly by their pissed off sister.   
  
"Where are we going anyway?" she demanded running her hands through her thick hair. Idly she wondered if she was going to have bald spots now from all the hair that she had to rip out to untangle herself.   
  
"The temple shouldn't be far off, we'll meet Lord Dilandau, my commander, and the rest there," he replied tiredly. It was obvious that their journey was taxing his remaining strength. She felt sorry for him, though her pity he wouldn't want, and decided to be less of a bitch. Well, at least until they reached the temple thing and met his commander.   
  
"Let's rest for a second, I'm tired." That was a complete lie, but she did have some fundamental understanding of the fragile male ego. He would never ask if they could take a break, needing to look strong in front of her, so she would have to for his sake.   
  
"Fine but only for a few moments, they've probably sent a search party for me. We don't have much time," his tone was acidic, but nonetheless he sat down with a grateful groan. She stared unabashedly at his naked torso. It wasn't often she saw something so good outside of a video.   
  
"So, are you some sort of mass murderer or something?" Eryn asked trying to start a conversation. She had been wondering exactly why he was trying to escape, the weirdness of the bald men not included.   
  
"I've killed people, yes, but I'm their enemy," Miguel replied tersely, his eyes shadowed by his overhanging bangs.   
  
"Okay, well I guess it sucks to be you," she said brightly. An awkward silence ensued, their breathing the only noise in the sultry jungle.   
  
"We should get moving," he told her as he rose with difficulty. She shrugged and went to give him a hand. He waved her away and used a nearby tree instead. With a raised eyebrow she regarded him with amusement.  
  
"Macho," she said with a grin.   
  
"Of course," he retorted. For the first time she saw humor sparkle in his cool gray eyes and a smile curve his lips.  
  
"You should do that more often," she giggled as she flicked a bang away from his face.  
  
"Do what?" he asked in puzzlement.  
  
"Smile," she told him with a winsome smile. He sighed heavily and the smile fading from his face, though there was still a trace in his eyes.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Whoa, mood swing," she muttered. What was with this guy? One little compliment and he was depressed city, population Miguel. God, this was a messed up world. At least she still had her magazine.  
  
"Damn!" she cried as her hair became tangled again. He sighed and waited impatiently for her to free herself, while muttering something about taking his sword to her hair. If he tried anything with her hair she would do more than just smack him. Messing with the 'do was a serious offense and the punishment, the likes of which no civilized nation had seen, was severe.   
  
As a preemptive warning she whacked him on the shoulder.  
  
"Would you stop doing that?" he asked harshly. She considered for a moment, conveniently forgetting that she had silently sworn to be nicer for a bit, then with a cheerful voice told him 'no'.   
  
"Somebody help me," he grated between clenched teeth.   
  
  
*****  
  
"Is that her?" Lord Dilandau asked pointing at the girl resting against the base of temple. Miguel Lavariel glanced down and discovered that now the girl was examining her nails as if they held something of interest.  
  
"No, that's another one, Lord Dilandau," he replied subserviently.   
  
"But she's from the Mystic Moon?" the silver-haired leader asked turned his garnet gaze back to his subordinate.   
  
"I haven't had the chance to ask, sir," was his answer.   
  
When a high pitched laugh shattered the night they both turned to glare at the girl. As of then she was giggling crazily as she read something in her journal weapon. She seemed to feel the weight of their gazes and glanced up and waved cheerfully.   
  
"Then why is she here?" Lord Dilandau asked, anger coloring his voice.  
  
"I had no choice, sir." The girl tucked the journal under her arm and began to climb the immense steps to where the two soldiers stood.  
  
"God, this place has way too many stairs," she could be heard muttering as she neared the top.   
  
"We shall talk more of this later, Miguel," Lord Dilandau told him quietly. Miguel had no doubt that they would indeed be discussing it later. With all the blows he had taken from the girl, whatever her name was, it was doubtful that the ones to come would even show. Why, he must be completely black and blue! She and Dilandau were one and the same in that respect, both knew how to hit.   
  
"So we're here, what next?" she asked with cheerful impertinence. Her black hair, with indigo streaks, clung in wisps to her damp temples and neck. The steps had been hard for him because of his injury and not because he wasn't in shape. On the other hand she probably wasn't used to such strenuous activity. Girls just weren't cut out for the hard stuff.   
  
"What is your name, girl?" the leader demanded coldly.  
  
"Girl? I think not, boyo," she told him defensively.  
  
"Just tell him your goddamn name," Miguel hissed, the girl was starting to give him a headache. She gave him a cold look, he noticed her hand clenching the rolled up journal. Slowly he inched away from her.   
  
"My name is Eryn Michail," she replied primly. Lightning fast she whapped Miguel, then hid the object behind her back before Dilandau knew what had happened. She returned his glare with an innocent look.   
  
"Your clothes sure are strange," Lord Dilandau commented, a viciously amused look in his eyes. "Very, very odd."  
  
Miguel barely had time to react as she launched herself at his esteemed leader, wielding her rolled up instrument of pain. He managed grab her, cursing as he pulled the wound in his leg open. She struggled furiously in his grip, twisting and turning like a possessed snake. For a girl she sure was strong as she nearly managed to break free.   
  
"Calm down," he hissed in her ear, tightening his grip, "He'd kill you without a thought." Immediately she ceased moving, demonstrating that there had to be something close to a brain in her small, dyed head.  
  
"I guess that would really suck," she remarked with a sigh. "Sorry." The last was to the somewhat shocked and bemused silver-haired one.  
  
"That one has a temper," he remarked catching Miguel's eye. Beside him the girl, Eryn, began to twitch.   
  
"Should we take her with us, sir?" Miguel questioned, keeping a restraining hand on Eryn's arm.  
  
"Might as well. But if she does anything tie her up," was Lord Dilandau's reply as he jumped gracefully into his Guymelef.   
  
"What?" the energetic girl demanded furiously.  
  
"Oh, and gag her." Miguel nodded cheerfully at the last command. Maybe his day was starting to look up a little.   
  
*****  
  
Wow, okay that's done and in one hour! I hope you like this one as much as the last one. If not I'm sure there's some dark hole I can crawl into and contemplate my sins. Don't ask what they are because that's a secret and if I told you they wouldn't be a secret now would they? Of course not, glad you agree. Now review and feel good that you have contributed to the happiness of a person who has no life and gets giddy whenever she reads a review. *giddy, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*  



	3. The Insanity On Mute and the Odor of Dea...

If you're reading this then you must have found the first two chapters mildly entertaining, if not then why are you reading this? I know why it must be my incredible personality! Oh, right, that's not true. Well, it continues. I should probably be studying for my finals coming up in a month, but writing so much more fun I think. Thanks to those of you who review. Reviews are the only reason I continue writing. When I read them I got another "review glow". I'm so giddy.  
CREAM CHEESE LIBERATION!!!! Sorry, that's what my friends and I were talking about during lunch. Yes, we are messed up. *grin*  
  
  
The Insanity That One Can Cause  
  
  
Eryn sat, against her will, on an uncomfortable chair in a corner of a large room. The only reason she was still seated and not causing havoc and general chaos was the fact that she was currently bound and gagged. She shifted continually in a futile effort to relieve the multitude of itches caused by bug bites on her arms and legs. Unable to scratch them was driving her insane, this was too extreme even for what she had done.   
  
Her baleful amber eyes followed the blue and black (their armor and not Eryn inflicted bruises) soldiers as they went about their business; cleaning weapons, repairing armor, etc. Her eyes promised retribution in the form of a severe beating with her magazine. Fortunately for her they weren't eager to get too close and had left her instrument of pain in her possession. When she got free, heads and bodies would be liberally whacked.  
  
It was unfair and unjust, leaving her tied up. Silently she raged, but they could tie knots really well so she wasn't going anywhere. And why was she gagged and bound? All she had done was beat the crap out of this one guy, Dallet or something, for insulting her outfit. They had needed five guys to take her off him. Didn't they understand that no one said anything negative about the clothes without punishment? She thought by now they'd get it through their thick, masculine heads. But no-o-o, she was the one unable to scratch herself anywhere.   
  
She tried to take her mind off her uncomfortable situation by daydreaming about how she could get her revenge. She smiled evilly as images of those rude guys cowering from a hail of blows. Normally she wasn't so sadistic as to wish to inflict severe damage on another human, but if she weren't able to scratch her nose in five seconds she would go mental.   
  
With a muffled yell of anger and frustration she began to squirm violently in her bonds. The soldiers regarded her briefly with a look of wariness before returning to their tasks. Finally she stopped struggling, realizing that her efforts were entirely useless. All she had accomplished was to become exhausted, not to mention sweaty.   
  
As she sat there in a state of frustrated depression, she finally realized how her little brothers felt when she tied them up. It really sucked to be completely helpless and at the mercy of someone else. Of course this experience would by no means prevent her from inflicting it on her little brothers. As soon as she got home she was going to tie Max up and dangle him off the balcony like he had done to her old Barbie dolls when they were younger. She would at least let him keep his clothes on.   
  
Just the thought of her poor Barbie dolls, she hadn't played with them since was eight, was enough to heat up her anger. Oh, yes, when she got back things were going to get interesting. She would most likely need a whole bunch of teenage magazines to keep him sufficiently 'entertained'.  
  
****  
  
The sound of a door slamming closed awoke Eryn from the sleep into which she had unknowingly fallen. She looked around groggily, apparently everyone had left her there. Left her there tied up like a goddamn package. She cursed and tried to move.  
  
"I hope you've cooled down after your little nap," remarked a wryly-amused voice. She didn't even need to see the person to know who it was; Miguel Last-name-she-still-couldn't-recall. The gag muffled her biting reply, but suffice it to say it wasn't very nice or ladylike; of course no one had every dared to accuse her of being a lady, after knowing her for a minute people generally knew it was better to shut up. Obviously these guys were just a little too dense to get it, unfortunate for them if she ever got out.   
  
"I'll take the gag out and untie you if you promise not to whack me or any one else," he told her as he hunched down by her side. She glared murderously at him, amber eyes practically glowing with her intense hostility.   
  
"Well, if not then I guess I'll leave." He shrugged indifferently and began to walk away, she panicked and began thrashing about. There was no way in hell that she was going to stay tied to the chair. Even if she had to scrape and bow before that idiot she was would be free.   
  
She slumped down with an air of defeat and he returned to her side. Deftly he sliced the ropes and pulled out her gag. She made a face as she registered how cottony her mouth felt. But before she could think about anything else her bug bites made themselves known with a vengeance.   
  
Miguel regarded her with a look of complete she shock as she began to frantically scratch herself, moaning in relieved pleasure. A few moments later she stopped and smoothed back her hair as if she hadn't just freaked out a few seconds ago.   
  
"What?" she demanded in annoyance as she caught his surprised look. He shook his head mutely and strode out of the room. She glared at his retreating back before she decided that she should probably follow him.   
  
They made their ways through the dimly lit halls in silence. Mentally she was remodeling the whole place to coordinate with her outfit. Sure she was wearing black, but that meant she needed a background that she would disappear into. They should knock down a few of the walls and add a sofa or two, she thought. She was so concerned with improving the look of the place that she neglected to remember that she was following someone; therefor, when he stopped suddenly she collided forcibly with him.  
  
"Put your brake lights on, man," she cried from her sprawled position on the floor. He gave her a tired look, she didn't need to be hit over the head to realize she was wearing down his nerves. Well, maybe she did because she had no intention on mellowing out even if he eventually snapped. Psychological revenge could be as satisfying as physical, after all it required a lot less effort on her part.   
  
Without a word, or a helping hand to the downed girl, he opened the door he had stopped before. Muttering things about the death of chivalry she stood up and dusted off her pants. If she had a white mark on her butt, he would pay.   
  
Curiously she peeked over his shoulder as he walked inside, expecting some fascinating room of wonders: it was a supply closet. She pouted in disappointment, if she was in a freaky, weird world shouldn't there be all sorts of freaky, weird things around? At least that was somewhat deluded reasoning. She had been reading too many mangas obviously (translated into English because she didn't know any Japanese, she did know Spanish though).   
  
He briefly rummaged through the contents of the room while she waited impatiently in the hall. She was bored and itchy and generally unhappy.   
  
"Here, this should help you're...problem," he told her shoving a foul smelling pot under her nose.  
  
"Aaaaah, that reeks!" she yelled pushing him away. Then her eyes narrowed and she regarded him suspiciously. "I'm not crazy you know." He arched his brows as if to ask if she was certain.  
  
"This is not for your mind, though the gods know you need it, this is for skin irritations," he told, amusement shining in the depths of his gray eyes. She cocked her head to the side and regarded the offering with skepticism.  
  
"That's s'posed to make my bites stop itching?" she inquired doubtfully.  
  
"It works," he told her concisely. She sighed and took it from his outstretched hand. Gingerly she opened it up and began to cough violently as the full effect of the noxious odor hit her in the face.  
  
When she recovered he led her to a room, more like a prison cell, and locked her in. Apparently this was for her own protection until his commander gave him orders on what to do with her. She secretly thought it was because they were afraid she'd go crazy and whack them to death with her magazine.  
  
Idly she scratched her arm and regarded the icky smelling pot thoughtfully. In her mind she was weighing whether it was worth smelling like something that had thrown up and then died in its own vomit, or itch like crazy. Being weak when it came to persistent irritations of the skin she decided that she'd risk it.  
  
With great trepidation she opened it once again and dipped her finger inside. She cringed as the slimy stuff coated it. She felt nothing for a few moments, but then it began to tingle and go numb. She raised an eyebrow in surprise and admiration.  
  
"Fast working stuff," she remarked to no one in particular, because she was completely alone. Without further hesitation she dabbed the gunk onto her bites and sighed in relief as the itching subsided.   
  
One obstacle down, the next was waiting for that annoying, but hot, guy to return. That and finding the bathroom and a change of clothes. And what was she going to do about underwear tomorrow? She doubted that they kept women's panties stocked up there...well, they might, but she didn't even want to think about that.  
  
****  
Is this the end? Will we never find out about Eryn's underwear dilemma or if the Vione has women's panties in stock and if they do why? Well, I'll continue if people like it, I'm having fun, but I don't want to inflict too much insanity on people. I've been a very busy writer this week and it's all because of the reviews. Nine out of tend dentists say that reviews won't do anything for your teeth, but that shouldn't prevent you from reviewing. If you don't I will have no choice but to send the CREAM CHEESE LIBERATION MILITIA after you. 'The Horror! The Horror'...from "Apocalypse Now" and "Heart of Darkness".   



	4. The Shower of Insanity and the Scream Qu...

Oh my god there's more! I should stop while I'm ahead...just kidding. I haven't gotten to the one scene that I'm just dying to write, although this is another one. I probably won't write more for a while because I have to study, but I'll do my best to try. Thanks for your support. LOVE AND PEACE!!!!  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
The ash-blonde guy walked into the room and was immediately assaulted by a malodorous scent. He wrinkled his nose and looked around for the source.  
  
"What's that smell?" he demanded in bewilderment. Miguel discreetly pointed to the girl determinedly reading her magazine, trying to ignore the newcomer. "Oh," the guy said and promptly left the room.  
  
Eryn silently ground her teeth in annoyance. So what if she reeked? At least she didn't itch anymore.  
  
"What's that smell?" asked another one entering what she guessed was considered the rec. room, or something. The place was just too big and weird to be sure, but without the freaky experimental freaks she was expecting.  
  
"That's it!" she yelled, throwing her magazine violently to the floor. "If one more person asks that, I am going to go insane! And then I'll have to commit random acts of MURDER!"  
  
She had bug bites so I gave her some salve," the annoying one with gray eyes informed the newest offender. He had honey colored hair cut in a bowl shape, or he used a bowl to trim his hair, whichever.  
  
"You didn't give her THAT one did you?" he asked in horror. The annoying one, as she had so lovingly (yeah right) named Miguel, shrugged. Eryn's eyes narrowed dangerously at this exchange, her left eye began to twitch.  
  
"So which one DID you give me?" she asked with deadly sweetness. He smiled innocently and the blonde kid groaned in despair. Her hands clenched into fists, but she smiled serenely, a crazy light entering her amber eyes.  
  
"Apparently he gave you the bad smelling one, we do have less...pungent salves as well," the kid remarked, completely oblivious to the steadily increasing danger level in the room.  
  
"Oh? Is that right?" she asked softly, her black lashes sweeping down to obscure the fire in her eyes.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
Suffice it to say the events that followed were violent and sadistic. When she finally flounced out of the room in search of a shower or some such amenity, she left Miguel in a state of complete agony.   
  
"You really shouldn't have done that," Chesta told his injured companion without sympathy.  
  
"Yeah, but it was funny," Miguel replied with a laugh, which swiftly turned into a groan as his bruised and battered body retaliated against such movement. "Damn, she hits hard!"  
  
  
****  
  
"When I get this stuff off he's a dead man," Eryn muttered as she pulled off her black halter-top and tossed it carelessly beside the pile of discarded clothing. Somehow she had managed to discover the location of the bathing facilities, and in some way wished she hadn't.  
  
The bathing area consisted what looked like giant metal troughs filled with soapy water. Primitive toilets in their small stalls resided in a recess in the wall. That was all there was besides locker like compartments and a bench to set stuff in. All in all the privacy was zilch and the odor of mildew and sweat was reminiscent of her school's locker rooms. If she closed her eyes and thought back hard enough the sound of inane, girlish chatter filled her head, but since she hated that she didn't try after the first time.   
  
Tentatively she walked nude over to the trough and dipped a hand in. To her immense satisfaction and pleasure she discovered that the water was pleasantly warm. She glanced around to make sure no one had entered, the place had no locks, and hopped into the water. With a content sigh she leaned back and just let her tired body rest before she began the task of completely eradicating the odor. When she was done Miguel was going to pay dearly.   
  
Thirty minutes later found her humming drowsily while washing out her hair. She looked up with horrified eyes as the sound of masculine voices suddenly filled the room. To her shock and mortification a troupe of those annoying, but hot, black and blue soldiers entered. The silence that followed was almost comical as they stared at each other.  
  
Eryn's eyes grew huge and she screamed a sound so horrible that one would think she was being butchered alive by cannibals. In the face of a screaming, naked girl the guys screamed as well and ran headlong out of the room. Eryn continued to scream until the last echoes of their footsteps were heard.   
  
"Oh. My. God!" she groaned ducking under the water. She felt as if her cheeks were on fire, which could only mean that she was blushing horribly.   
  
As she resurfaced the unwelcome sight of the annoying one and his silver-haired leader bursting in the room greeted her. They looked around frantically until their gazes fell on her huddled form in the soapy water.   
  
"What is with you people!" she yelled from her awkward position.  
  
"I see that you are not being horribly maimed," the silver-haired one, Dil-something, remarked wryly.   
  
"So why did you scream?" Miguel asked with amusement, leaning casually against the lockers. She glowered at him and hunched deeper in the water. He arched his brows mockingly. Her reply consisted of words that would make a hardened sailor blush, the two before her only began to smile.   
  
"Miguel and I shall leave you to your...bathing in peace. Afterwards report to the conference room, we need to discuss your future," the leader informed her, a smug smile on his face.   
  
"I'll wait outside to make sure she gets there all right," Miguel said to his departing commander.  
  
"Do whatever you like as long as you get her there in twenty minutes," was the response. With that he left, leaving Eryn and Miguel alone.  
  
"If you don't leave in two seconds I will kill you and then hack your corpse into little pieces," she hissed.  
  
"You'd have to get out to do that," he told her innocently. She blushed even worse and sat pouting in the water. He remained to laugh at her for a few minutes before finally leaving. She hurled a wet sponge at his retreating back, but since she didn't want to 'expose' herself her aim was off and it hit the wall by his head.   
  
"Jerk," she muttered as she cautiously climbed out. Why couldn't she stop blushing? She must look like a boiled lobster! God what a day.   
  
****  
  
Sorry it's so short but I want to group the next two scenes because I think it'd make more sense. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed this one and I won't pressure you to review, but it sure would make me one happy author. Anyways *coughreview*, thanks for reading and *coughreview* I'm planning on writing more. This could be a good or bad thing...dun dun duuuuuuuun...you decide. *coughreview*  



	5. Violent Insanity and the Shopping of Dea...

I haven't written for some time, sorry. Have patience for here is the next part. I also haven't made any disclaimers so just mental insert any that may apply and feel good that you have contributed to the plagiarism that is America. *smile*  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
"Lord Dilandau, the girl, Eryn, is here," Miguel announced with great formality.  
  
"Hi!" the aforementioned individual called cheerfully upon entering the room. "Whoa, gloomy," she muttered as she took in her depressing surroundings. The "conference" room, as they chose to call it, looked more like a throne room than anything else. The silver-haired one -was it Dilandau?-ruled over it all from a bona fide throne on a dais. He sat there haughtily in his red and black armor, regarding his respectful soldiers and not so respectful girl with a look of thinly veiled scorn.  
  
"So about my future...what exactly is it?" she asked, unable to stay quiet for long.  
  
"It seems that given the present circumstances you'd most likely be joining my elite forces, if you prove yourself," he informed with a sigh that indicated his patience was wearing thin.  
  
"What do these so called 'elite' forces do exactly?" she inquired impertinently.  
  
"Sir," Miguel hissed as he elbowed her side.  
  
"What?" she demanded, glaring at him in annoyance.  
  
"You must always address him as 'sir' if you are to speak to him," he told her in a frantic whisper.   
  
"Oh..."  
  
"They are my Dragon slayers and they do three things: uphold the honor of the Zaibach empire, destroy those that stand in our way, and hunt the Dragon," he told her impatiently. She offered an apologetic smile to sooth his short temper.   
  
"I just have three problems with that whole thing," she told him primly, clasping her hands before her. She received another elbow to the stomach and swiftly retaliated with a blow to Miguel's mid-section, which she did without looking away from the Dilandau's piercing gaze.   
  
"And what would those be?" he demanded, anger beginning to color his voice.  
  
"The first," she informed him counting off on her fingers, "Is that I'm not a member or citizen or whatever of this Zaibach. Do they call you Zaibachians or something? Anyway the second is that I've recently joined S.O.D.A., a.k.a. Save Our Dragons Associated, and hunting one would be a breach of article 13, section 12 under Treatment of Dragons. Sir." He, and she assumed everyone else, stared blankly at her for a few moments, the only sound was the nervous rustle of cloth. Their staring contest, for that's what it had become, ended suddenly when he burst out laughing.   
  
"And you're third?" he asked around his laughter. She smiled engagingly as she heard the relieved sighs behind her. Dilandau had a pleasant, if somewhat psychotic, laugh.   
  
"Well, the whole destroying part, does that involve violence?" she asked in mock timidity. She knew the answer coming, but their conversation was amusing although it was kind of strange.   
  
"Generally destroying involves violence," he replied wryly, one silver brow arched in curiosity at her next line.   
  
"Well, that's the prob., I really don't condone violence," she told him with an apologetic shrug. Behind her someone, or some people, started coughing violently. She sent them, Miguel included, a warning scowl before returning her attention to the guy before her.   
  
"You don't?" he asked laughing outright.   
  
"No, for you see I feel as though I'm something of a pacifist and causing unprovoked violence just doesn't suit me." The coughing behind her intensified and she rounded on them, fury glowing in her eyes.   
  
"Will you shut up?" she yelled before she began to smack them around.   
  
Dilandau watched in mild amusement as the willowy girl chased his supposedly elite, and currently terrified, soldiers out of the room. The last he heard from her was the echoing cry of "Stand up and be men!" from down the hall.   
  
A slight smile curved his lips as he thought back upon their brief conversation. Although her refusal was rather annoying, and an unforeseen difficulty, he had to admire her spirit. If she was a man she might've made an excellent Dragonslayer. But what the hell was the whole Dragons' rights thing about and her declaration against violence?   
  
****  
  
"Can I tell you something without you smacking me?" Miguel asked seriously. Eryn glanced up from her magazine and gave him a look that said to hurry up with whatever he wanted. She was still slightly irritated after chasing the Dragonslayers, in her opinion really odd, around the place. They had managed to elude her and she had gotten horribly lost in the maze-like complex until Miguel had managed to track her down. Now she was back in the rec. room and trying her hardest to ignore everyone.   
She wondered briefly if her parents were worried about her, but then knowing them like she did, they were probably only disappointed that they would have to start paying for the babysitters. Her brothers could probably care less. She would have to find a way back for the sole purpose of making their lives a living hell.   
  
"Fine. What is it?" she asked going back to her magazine.  
  
"No offense but you're clothes are rather...odd. Ow!" he jumped back holding his shoulder where she had smacked him with her magazine. "You said you wouldn't hit me," he accused.   
  
"I lied," she replied with an indifferent shrug.   
  
"Anyway, since you flatly refused to be Dragonslayer, and I can't blame you, being female and all that," he nimbly avoided the blow that followed his last comment before continuing, "We can't very well give you the uniform and we don't exactly stock woman's clothing aboard the Vione." He gave her a helpless gesture, his dark hair falling over his eyes.   
  
"This is a very long and unnecessary point you're currently trying to make," she informed him coolly.   
  
"I think we might have to take you to city or some such place in order to properly attire you. You probably don't want to just wear that for the rest of your stay. I assume you will be staying with us for some time," he told her casually.  
  
"Shopping?" she asked perking up. She even went so far as to put away her magazine to better give him her attention.  
  
"Nothing extravagant, but essentially yes."  
  
"But you said you'll take me shopping right?" she repeated standing up in excitement.   
  
"I'd have to ask Lord Dilandau first of course," he told her smiling at her unexpected enthusiasm. He was beginning to have his doubts that there was anything feminine about her besides the obvious.   
  
"I am going to drain your account," she told him sweetly.  
  
"Account of what?" he asked in puzzlement.  
  
"Doesn't really matter," she replied airily, "Let's go find him now." Laughing like a little girl she skipped down the hallway...in the wrong direction.   
  
"His apartments are this way," Miguel told her pointing down the opposite hall. He was grinning in amusement as she cursed then ran down the direction he pointed. With a resigned shrug he followed her retreating form. Mentally he wondered if he was strong enough to survive with her shopping insanity. Knowing her for the brief time he had, he knew that no one could.   
  
****  
  
Yahoo, okay next time the Shopping Trip of Death! Not really, that's not even what the chapter's gonna be called, but it sounds interesting...very...interesting...*giggle*   



	6. Insanity Overboard and Home?

Sorry that it's taken so long, but I have to exist in a world outside of my mind. Though I try to avoid it at all costs. This story is for everyone who reviewed, but specifically to "You know who I am", yes I DO know who you are, so you'll stop bugging me every second of every day. Be warned I know where you live and yes I'll use your little phrase in this. Enjoy all of you and review to your hearts content, even if you already have.   
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
  
"So how long has she been missing?" asked the police officer holding an official looking pad of notepaper.  
  
"For about two days now," replied a less than distraught mother. During the interview she was cutting out coupons for various food products, the father was reading the paper. In the eyes of the police office more than just the missing girl was wrong with the family.  
  
"Has she run away often?"  
  
"This is the first time, I think. If she did it before we didn't notice," the mother answered carelessly.  
  
"Okay...do you know where she might have gone? Any favorite places?" Personally the police officer thought the girl was at a friend's house and the parents had simply forgotten, they seemed the kind to do that.  
  
"The supermarket and the garage," the father responded flipping to another page.   
  
"Right...do you have a picture of her?" was the next hesitantly posed question.   
  
"Oh, of course, what kind of parents would we be if we didn't have a picture of our children?" the mother exclaimed rushing off. Apparently the family photo album was something of an event the police officer thought as the father rushed off to join his wife.  
  
"Here it is," the mother said happily thrusting a photo into the startled officer's hands.   
  
"Um...this is...did you say she was fifteen?"  
  
"Yes," the mother said going back to her coupons.   
  
"This is a baby picture," the officer sighed showing them the picture he had been given.  
  
"Of course it is. We don't have any more recent photos of Eryn," the father responded reasonably.  
  
"She has this thing about cameras and having her picture taken. Whenever we tried to take her picture she was go into a rage and assault the camera. We've lost five very expensive cameras that way," the mother informed the bewildered police officer, "She thinks that they'll capture her soul or something."  
  
"I...see..."  
  
"Would you like to see the pictures of our other children?" the mother asked brightly.  
  
****  
  
Eryn looked down and down and down and down and down...oh there's the ground.   
  
"OH MY GOD!" she shrieked and practically jumped into Miguel's arms. "We're floating off the ground! We're in a goddamn floating castle-"  
  
"Fortress."  
  
"-thing!" she finished with a glare at his interruption.   
  
"Hmm, I actually didn't know anything frightened you," he remarked in amusement then choked when she tightened her arms about his neck.  
  
"I'm not afraid of heights," she retorted angrily, with no small amount of embarrassment, "Just falling from them."  
  
"Well, fabulous, could you let me go now?" he gasped, his face turning a fascinating shade of violet. She stared at the pretty colors in wonder for a moment before she realized that they were due to oxygen deprivation.  
  
"Oops, my bad," she giggled letting him go. He rubbed his abused neck gingerly, a look of strained patience on his handsome face.  
  
"Let's just get this over with," he muttered striding away from the edge of the carrier craft-like bay thing. She wondered why they need such a freaking big hole in the side of their goddamn floating, insurance-disaster-waiting-to-happen fortress.  
  
Suddenly her eyes lit up with excited pleasure, her brain completely forgetting the precarious drop a few feet away. Oh, that's right, she thought in excitement, he's taking me shopping.  
  
"So I can get whatever, right? Hey wait up! Slow down!" she called chasing after him.  
  
****  
  
Eryn gagged as her amber eyes bugged out, she had never felt so nauseous in her life. The object responsible for her revolted state and upset stomach was a hideous, brilliant, canary yellow dress. With a look of perfect horror she held the offensive garment with two fingers.  
  
"You have got to be joking," she gasped. A delicate shudder wracked her body and she thrust it back at the perplexed looking Miguel.   
  
"What's wrong with it? It seems serviceable enough," he informed her, the puzzlement lacing his voice and making it exceedingly adorable.  
  
"It is, but the color, man, the color," she cried flipping her hair over her shoulder. "It's obvious you know nothing of women's fashion." She grabbed the yellow thing from his hands and tossed it aside before she began pulling him towards a more palatable selection.   
  
"I still don't see why I can't just wear pants. I mean, you guys do," she told him, peeved, as she rummaged through a selection of disgustingly feminine dresses.  
  
"I don't know what the women wear where you come from, but here pants mean a serious character flaw in a woman," he told her seriously. For his helpful information he found himself suffocating under a pile of frilly garments.  
  
"I'll give you a character flaw," she threatened waving a fist at him. He rolled his eyes and shoved the last articles of clothing off of himself.   
  
"Just choose something already," he told her with a frustrated sigh. She gave him a pointed look and turned back to the dresses before her.   
  
"Too frilly, too lacey, too puffy, too white, way too green..." her litany of the various faults that she found with each dress continued for what seemed like an eternity, at least to him. A dull blush crept across his cheeks at the strange looks they were given by those passing by. He wondered what they were thinking when they saw a Zaibach soldier clothes shopping with an oddly dressed girl. Would he ever live this down?  
  
"What do you think of these?" Eryn demanded holding an armful of dresses. It was his turn to have his eyes bug out.   
  
"All of those?" he asked, gray eyes wide with shock and no small amount of apprehension.   
  
"Of course. Don't they pay you enough? After all you said you'd take me shopping," she sang sweetly, shoving the burden into his arms.   
  
"But I...I...," he stuttered as she shoved him towards the clerk.  
  
"You obviously haven't been around many women. If you had, you'd have known never to offer take one shopping," she giggled deviously.   
  
"Thanks for telling me this now," he muttered dumping the clothing into the clerk's eager hands. She made no reply because suddenly something bright and shiny caught her eye. Without saying anything to Miguel she skipped off, intent on acquiring the shiny thing.   
  
"Ooh, that's so cool," she whispered looking at a pink crystal carved in a rose pattern hanging from a gold chain. It seemed to glow with a light that had nothing to do with the sun. She knew she wanted it, now all she had to do was convince Miguel that she needed it. With his lack of female knowledge she was sure she could pull something like claiming she needed it to match her new wardrobe.  
  
"It is rather pretty, isn't it?" remarked a soft voice by her side. She glanced over to see a stranger admiring the same necklace. He had honey-brown hair and deep green eyes, all she could do was stare.  
  
"I think it would look lovely on you," he told her in his quiet, almost dreamy, voice. Before she could do anything or say anything he had paid for it. She stared wide-eyed at him for a few moments and accepted the gift enthusiastically. Hell, a present was a present no matter who it was from. After all being materialistic wasn't a crime, was it?  
  
"Thanks, but I have to be honest, I can't pay you for this," she told him. Mentally she crossed her fingers and hoped he wouldn't take it back, not that she'd let him. She just didn't want to make a scene.   
  
"How about I take you to lunch and you can pay with titillating conversation?" he suggested with a slight smile.  
  
"Food?" Eryn asked perking up. When it came to food and shopping common sense was thrown out the window and into the stratosphere. So what if she was going off with a stranger and leaving Miguel with no idea where she was? She would be getting a free lunch. Another reason was that she had few to no survival instincts, so she really could care less about the potential danger.  
  
"So?"  
  
"If you're paying, I'm eating," she replied linking her arm through his.   
  
****  
  
"I'm guessing that either you're really not taking me to lunch or you're a cannibal," Eryn remarked, a patently false smile plastered on her face, as she backed away from the group of men. "So are you planning on assaulting me, selling me to slavers, or both the last two?" Her only answer was their evil laughter, which suddenly made her think of all those bad action/adventure movies with the maniacal evil villain and his evil henchmen. She then mentally slapped herself for letting her mind wander. What she really needed to figure out was if they were cannibals or rapists.   
  
Deciding that, for the worst or best, they weren't cannibals and were indeed disgusting lechers she began screaming loudly. It was her patented ear-shattering-mind-numbing-heart-attack scream. They cried out and clutched their abused ears as she continued with her verbal assault.  
  
"Shut up!" the leader, the guy she had been with, yelled and slammed his fist into her face. With a cry of pain she fell to the ground.  
  
"Damn, she's loud. I hope no one heard her," another raged.   
  
"You hit me," she hissed, kneeling on the ground, black hair falling to obscure the anger burning in her eyes. "You dared to touch my face." Slowly she stood up, fists clenched tightly by her side.   
  
"No one, not anyone, touches my face without my express written consent!" she yelled and delivered a debilitating kick to the groin region of the leader. He doubled over with agony and slowly fell to the ground with a whimper.  
  
"Damn!" cried one of his lackeys as he swung wildly at her. She managed to dodge the blow and retaliated with crushing uppercut to his jaw.   
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to fight with girls?" demanded a Siberian-cold voice, "Because they would kick your ass?"  
  
"Miguel!" she cried in relieved excitement as she backhanded another attacker.  
  
"Eryn, that sure was stupid of you," he told her as he casually punched out yet another would be attacker. With a deadly calm he unsheathed his sword, gray eyes determined.  
  
"Sorry, something caught my eye," she informed him as she neatly disengaged from the fight to watch him, "Hey don't kill them!" He gave her a look and deftly reversed the edge of his sword so he hit the man with the dull side. Several seconds later he dispatched the last villain and walked casually over to her. She was impressed that he wasn't even breathing hard despite the fact that he had been recently injured.  
  
"Now tell me why exactly you felt the need to go off with a perfect stranger?" he demanded furiously.  
  
"Food," she offered innocently. He rolled his cool gray eyes heavenward and sighed in exasperation.  
  
"You are going to get yourself killed or worse one of these days," he remarked without emotion. She raised an eyebrow in challenge to that last statement.  
  
"Existential gophers," she declared randomly. He stared blankly at her for a few moments.  
  
"Come on, let's get you something to eat so you won't get in anymore trouble," he told her as he picked up a parcel, obviously her clothes, from the ground outside the alley.  
  
"Well, one good thing came out of all of this," she told him brightly.  
  
"I'm almost afraid to ask," he commented tiredly.  
  
"I got to keep the necklace the creep bought for me," she giggled, completely over the traumatic events of a few moments ago. "Oh, I forgot to do this," she said and promptly smacked him on the arm.  
  
"What was that for?" he demanded in surprise.  
  
"That was for not coming sooner," she told him primly.  
  
"Eryn, you know what?" he demanded hotly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go to hell."   
  
****  
  
Wow, that was the longest of them all! I hope you enjoyed it. That's the end, the finish, the completion of it all. Thanks for reading. If you think I should continue, because obviously she went back home when he said that, just tell me in a review. I hope its length made up for the time I spent not writing. Again thank you all for your support.   
  
To be continued? Tell me if I should. Byesies.  



	7. The Insanity Is Back and Graveyard Fun

I had to write more because a certain someone, who shall remain nameless, would not stop bugging me. Every day! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Okay anyway, Eryn's back home now and, well, no one cares. Review, por favor.  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
The raven-haired and indigo streaked girl landed on the beige carpet with in indelicate thud. The sound of computerized noises filtered through her shocked mind and slowly she looked around. The market was gone, the cobbled streets were gone, but the saddest of all Miguel was gone.   
  
"Oh, you're finally back," her little brother, Max, remarked carelessly. He continued to play his video game despite the fact that his sister had mysteriously appeared out of thin air and landed on the floor.   
  
"Yeah..." she murmured gazing blankly at the familiar surroundings. They last she remembered she had been tossing barbs with Miguel and now she was home.   
  
"Beware the feral rabbits!" Max declared as he apparently blasted some digital evil.   
  
"What?" she demanded in confusion. Why was she home? Was it because Miguel had told her to go to hell? Come to think of it that's exactly what her brother had said when she went to the other world.  
  
"I said, 'So where have you been?'" he informed her contemptuously.   
  
"No, you said to beware the feral rabbits," she responded whacking him on the head.  
  
"Yeah, but I meant the other thing," he replied as he smacked her knee. "Were you in hell?"   
  
"No, I most certainly was not," she answered, miffed.   
  
"Didn't think so," he commented indifferently, "The devil would take one look at you and kick you out." The next five minutes found Max immobilized in a headlock by his older sister.   
  
"I was in another world, if you have to know," she hissed in his ear.  
  
"Did you bring me back anything?" he choked out and then elbowed her in the stomach. She gasped more in surprise than pain; still she released her grip on him.  
  
"I shall vanquish you in the name of oppressed younger siblings," Max cried, green-gold eyes flashing triumphantly. He body slammed her and the fighting continued from there.  
  
****  
  
Eryn shifted uneasily from foot to foot in the dew-covered grass. Around her somber sentinels and monoliths gazed reproachfully at the black clothed intruders. Graveyards really sucked, more than most places sucked, and she had been to some pretty sucky places in her life. In fact on the Depression Scale of Suckiness (DSS) graveyards were right there next to the post office and funerals. And of course she was in two of the three places, hint: it wasn't the post office.   
  
The only upside to the whole thing was that she had managed to convince her brothers that they could make good money by being grave robbers. Of course she had neglected to mention that it was a punishable crime and that doctors had stopped paying for corpses in the early 1900's. But they really didn't need to know that. She smiled wickedly as she watched Max and the two others, Mickey and Marshal, run off towards the older section of the cemetery, wielding shovels.   
  
"Losers," she muttered under her breath.  
  
"No, I believe she was called Tabitha," her mother remarked absently.  
  
"What?" Eryn asked giving her mother a strange look. Mrs. Michail smiled condescendingly at her daughter.   
  
"Your aunt, or maybe cousin. Well, in all honestly she could be your long lost sister, I was pretty drugged when I had you." Her mother's reply left the girl staring blankly at her for a few moments.  
  
"Right, okay," she murmured looking away. If truth be told the other world seemed a lot saner then the one she had been born on.   
  
"I actually don't know if she was related to us, but we did get the invitation. Apparently she died in a tragic flower arranging accident," her mother commented impassively. Eryn wasn't even going to ask about the flower arranging accident; she really didn't want to know.  
  
Suddenly the sound of a shutter being clicked arrested her attention. In slow motion she whipped around to face the source of the noise. Before her stood a dour looking relative with an expensive looking camera in his hand. Her amber eyes grew to frightening proportions and her lips pulled back in a feral snarl.   
  
"Oh dear, I think you'd better run for your life," her mother called cheerfully to the baffled young man. With an inarticulate cry of rage Eryn launched herself at the photographer and brought him to the ground. She then proceeded to tear the camera out of the guy's startled hands.  
  
"I shall wreak vengeance upon this device of Satan!" she screamed as she jumped up and down upon it. Soon it was reduced to bits and pieces and the film.   
  
"That cost me twelve hundred dollars!" the abused guy hollered as he tried to gather the remnants up. With a maniacal laugh she grabbed the exposed roll of film and chucked over the graveyard fence and into the street beyond. By sheer chance the roll sailed through the driver's side window of a car and struck the person inside on the head. This caused him to lose control and the entire right side of the car ended up scrapping against a cement wall.  
  
"Oh, that's not good," she muttered, a guilty look on her expressive face. Behind her, her brothers ran screaming by, the shovels abandoned and an angry gravedigger chasing them.  
  
"Maybe she was your niece," her mother continued oblivious to everything.   
  
****  
  
"I want to watch cartoons!" Max cried trying to grab the remote out of his sister's hand. The other brother's seconded that eagerly.  
  
"Well, you can't," she told them contemptuously as she flipped to a talk show.  
  
"And why is that?" Mickey pouted cutely.  
  
"Because I'm god and you're not," she told him primly. Before she knew what they were about, they had swarmed her like rabid ants. The violence escalated from there as the four fought valiantly for control of the remote.   
  
"That's interesting," her mother commented as she strode into the room, completely unaware of the four tussling children. "Did you know that artichokes only live for four years?" Of course she got no reply as Eryn managed to stand up with three little kids hanging off of her. Triumphantly she held the remote out of reach.  
  
"Give it back!" Max yelled climbing on her back; the other two had secured her legs.  
  
"Of course if our artichokes knew that then it'd be problem," her mother continued complacently, "I'd better not tell them. It might cause undue emotional damage." Looking thoughtful she left her children and the room, not once glancing at any of them.   
  
"Make me!" Eryn returned struggling against the tiny monsters. With a grunt she sent Max flying into the sofa and dislodged the other two clinging siblings. "It's all mine!" she declared.  
  
"Go to hell," the three defeated ones muttered. With a soft plop the remote fell to the ground before the three's startled eyes.  
  
****  
  
"I'm back!" the raven-haired and indigo streaked girl squealed happily from her position on a very surprised Miguel Lavariel. The Dragonslayers, and their leader, stared at her in shock from around the dinner table.   
  
"Your lap is pretty comfy," Eryn giggled mischievously and looped her arms casually about his neck.  
  
"Dear gods no!" Miguel moaned.   
  
  
  
  
****  
  
She's ba-ack! I guess people wanted it to continue. I'm so happy! *cheers* PS: Review if it's the last thing you do, of course it would be if you're reading this before the next chapter.   



	8. Don't Bet On Insanity and the Clueless, ...

Here's another chapter. Run for the hills! Lock up your children and prepare for assimilation into insanity! This message has been brought to you by the Deranged Mouse Federation of Liberal Conservatives, which are a subsidiary of the Penguins of Despair Inc. My goal is to get at least forty or fifty reviews, so please help me with this little endeavor and Review! Or the Existential Gophers shall smite you all. Moohoohoohoo (as opposed to Mwahahahaha!!!! Deus)!!!!  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
"I'm so happy!" Eryn shrieked and Miguel found himself immobilized in a crushing bear hug. "You saved all my stuff!"  
  
"Need...air..." Miguel gasped, his face turning purple.   
  
"What are you talking ab...oh!" she exclaimed and released him. She watched him recover from his Eryn-induced strangulation, amusement dancing in her amber eyes.   
  
"So, why did you?" she asked coyly. She rocked back and forth on her heels, all the while grinning secretively.  
  
"Why did I what?" he demanded coughing slightly. She rolled her eyes heavenward and then lightly smacked him for no apparent reason, at least to him.   
  
"Why did you keep it?" she asked before muttering something that sounded like, "Clueless, insensitive, male idiot."  
  
"Your stuff?" she nodded eagerly, "Well, I paid a lot for it and it would be a waste of good coin if I threw them out."  
  
"What!"  
  
"Besides, it would take a while till I could find a place to pawn it all," he continued despite her cry of outrage. He was about to say more but was unable due to the fact he was being pummeled within in an inch of his life by a very pissed off Eryn.   
  
"Clueless, insensitive, male idiot! Pawn this!" she yelled as she continued her assault. This time he heard her loud and clear.   
  
"Ow! Stop it! What did I do?" Miguel cried as he tried to block her blows. This earned him a more vigorous beating with the magazine of pain, before her anger cooled down.  
  
"If you don't know then I'm not telling you," she informed him coldly, looking haughty.  
  
"That makes no sense," he declared in frustration, "How can I not do that, whatever it is, if I don't even know what I'm doing wrong?"  
  
"Like I said before, you're a clueless, insensitive, male idiot," she replied prissily.   
  
"And you're a domineering...a...um..." he struggled valiantly for a description that wouldn't result in another beating, unfortunately none came to mind. Well, that wasn't true, several came to mind but they weren't something to be said in front of a lady, even if said 'lady' didn't act like one; or talk like one for that matter.  
  
"You're pretty strong for a girl," he said lamely.   
  
"Wow. I'm in awe of your eloquence," she commented in monotone. "Hey! What do you mean 'for a girl'?" Her left eye twitched dangerously.  
  
"Well," he replied, slowly inching away, "Girls generally don't beat up people. They're sweet, obedient and never violent."  
  
"Violent? Me? I'm not violent! I abhor violence," she declared contemptuously, then tried to smack him to prove her point. Fortunately for him, he managed to evade the hit and the one that followed.  
  
"Well, maybe not violent," he conceded mockingly.  
  
"Damn right I'm not!"  
  
"But on the other hand, you're not much of a fighter anyway," he remarked casually.   
  
"What are you inferring?" she demanded, unconsciously rising to his bait.  
  
"No offense, but I could take you down so easily," he returned in a condescending tone of voice.  
  
"Oh, I guess that's what you've been doing every time I kicked your ass," she retorted hotly. He could see the flames of rage seething within the golden depths of her eyes. He also noted her hand clenching around the roll of paper in her hand. She was probably imagining her hands around his neck right about now.  
  
"I haven't really been trying. After all, a true man doesn't fight with little girls," he informed her coolly. Her eye began to twitch even more, things were going to get interesting. Truthfully he was surprised she was able to hold onto her temper for such a long time.  
  
"I bet you I could kick your ass three ways till Sunday," she snarled lowly, her entire posture radiating menace.   
  
"I'll accept that. What are the terms?" He was enjoying himself, although he knew he really shouldn't be so cruel. She just had the strangest affect on him. That and he loved to see her angry.  
  
"If I win then you have to do whatever I say for the rest of the day. If, on the other hand, you win, and you won't, I'll do whatever you want, within reason, for the rest of the day," she told him curtly.   
  
"Agreed."  
  
"On the count of three we'll start," she told him  
  
"You won't cheat, will you?" he asked as a precaution.  
  
"Hey," she replied and gave him a look that said he shouldn't even have to ask. Briefly he wondered exactly what she meant.  
  
"Okay, you ready?" she asked, he nodded, dropping into a fighting position, "Three!"   
  
****  
  
Don't hate me because I stopped it! I know, I know, I'm being cruel and mean, bad, evil, etc., but there must be some suspense in life. Don't worry you'll find out...eventually. *laughs evilly* Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, the flames!!!  



	9. Distracted By Insanity and Natural Woman...

Sorry for being so mean and leaving you all at a cliffhanger, but like I said suspense is good. I would also like to acknowledge Deus' request and say go ahead and use Eryn in your story as long as you don't maim, kill, or in any other way harm her. If you do that then I will have to smack you with the magazine of pain. If anyone else wants to use her please email your request (Address below).   
  
Disclaimer Here and please REVIEW. I want to get 55 before I write the next chapter. So REVIEW!  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
"...Three!"  
  
Eryn launched herself at Miguel, catching him off guard. It was obvious that he had expected her to start from one, oh well, all the better for her. She viciously jabbed an elbow into his midriff and then kicked his feet out from under him. Of course he wasn't an elite soldier for nothing, as he fell he grabbed her arm and jerked her after him. They landed in a tangle of assorted limbs.   
  
"Take that!" she cried landing a solid blow to his stomach. Her confidence and excitement soared as she noticed that he was hard pressed to ward off her attacks. That is until till he actually tried to retaliate.   
  
Within two seconds flat she found herself thrown onto her back with her arms pinned above her head. Cursing vividly she twisted and struggled uselessly against his superior strength. He waited patiently until she was exhausted herself, yet when that time came he didn't release her.   
  
"I guess I win," he remarked with marked smugness. She glared murderously at him and tried to bite him, but since she couldn't move all she did was snap her teeth at him. Nice, this is fun, one part of her thought and she mentally beat it into submission before it went any further.  
  
"You have not!" she declared obstinately. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly, he gray eyes mocking.   
  
"Let me see here," he said, looking thoughtful, "You can't move because I'm holding you down. Of course! You must have won!" Amber eyes narrowed at his mocking tone.  
  
"Excuse me," a voice interrupted, "If you aren't too busy, Miguel, Lord Dilandau wants to see all the Dragonslayers."  
  
"Hello, Viole," Miguel called cheerfully over his shoulder, "I'm almost finished here. I'll be there in a few seconds."  
  
Having lived with three younger brothers, Eryn wasn't one to pass up a golden opportunity to get revenge. While the annoying one was distracted she saw her chance. She twisted her back to an almost painful angle and threw all her weight to one side. With a startled oath he found himself held in her Eryn's patented headlock.   
  
"Like I told you, I haven't lost," she gloated, "Do you give?"   
  
"Never," he choked. She tightened her grip about his neck.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked evilly.  
  
"Miguel, just let her win. Dilandau wanted to see us a while ago," Viole commented from his position in the doorway.   
  
"I give," he whispered dejectedly. She promptly let him go and began to dance around the room.  
  
"I told you, I told you," she chanted in a singsong voice. He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and stood up.  
  
"Damn it, Viole," he hissed rounding on his fellow 'slayer.  
  
"I'll just be going now," the aforementioned individual informed them and promptly performed a disappearing act. Miguel made to follow him but delicate, yet strong, hand restrained him.  
  
"I don't think so," Eryn laughed, forcing him to face her, "You have to do whatever I want now!"  
  
****  
  
"Do I have too?"  
  
"Yes, go on. Just like I told you."  
  
****  
  
Lord Dilandau and his Dragonslayers looked up as the door to the conference room was thrown open. They stared open-mouthed at the shocking spectacle that greeted their bewildered eyes.  
  
"You make me feel like a natural woman! Woma-a-an!" Miguel sang off key as he entered the room wearing a rather stylish pale blue dress with a matching purse.   
  
"Miguel, what the hell are you doing?" Dilandau demanded angrily.  
  
"He lost a bet," Eryn replied skipping happily after the drag queen Miguel. The said individual blushed a painful scarlet and looked sourly about the room. The other Dragonslayers snickered quietly and passed around a few ribald jokes.   
  
"And what were you betting on?" the silver-haired leader demanded coldly, hand twitching.   
  
"Which of us would win...a fight, sir," he answered gloomily.   
  
"He lost," the very, very happy girl interjected more or less, likely less, helpfully.  
  
"You lost to this...girl? One of my best soldiers lost to a little girl?" Dilandau demanded contemptuously. Eryn would have protested the 'little girl' bit but another 'slayer had deemed it prudent to clamp his hand over her mouth.   
  
"I'm sorry, sir," Miguel apologized subserviently.   
  
"Well, I guess you'll just have to practice more," Dilandau informed him coldly. "Starting at dawn tomorrow you will report to the training room and run level eight exercises for two hours, no breaks. You will continue until I say otherwise."  
  
"Yes, sir," he said with a placating bow. As he straightened he shot Eryn a dirty look, she smiled innocently from behind the other guys hand.   
  
"Now, girl, leave us, this has nothing to do with civilians," Dilandau told her pointing expectantly to the door.   
  
"Mmph amm!" she cried from behind the gloved hand.  
  
"Gatti, release her. I think she feels like wasting air," Dilandau commanded the guy restraining her. Promptly she was released and the guy, Gatti, stepped back among his companions, of course not before she whacked him soundly on the shoulder.   
  
"I have name," she told him angrily.  
  
"Do you? Good for you, I could care less. Now leave!"  
  
"I can tell when I'm not wanted," she pouted and flounced out of the room.   
  
She continued until she realized that she wasn't going the right way. With a sense of despair she stopped walking and looked around. Every hallway looked like every other hallway! Where were the goddamn 'you are here' signs?  
  
****  
  
"As soon as this meeting is over, take that ridiculous costume off," Dilandau commanded.  
  
"Yes, sir."   
  
Miguel stood sullenly off to one side of the main group. He seethed with internal rage in his attractive pale blue dress. He was a man of honor and knew that he had to obey the terms of the bet, but that was only for one day. After that all bets were off, so to speak.   
  
A wicked smile curved his lips and his gray eyes flashed dangerously. If Eryn knew what he was thinking then she would have grabbed her magazine of pain and locked herself in closet.  
  
****  
  
Thank you for reading this all of you. And also thank you to those of you who review and even more thanks to those of you who review constantly. I love reviews because they make me sooooooooooooooooooo happy! When I'm happy I write, hint, hint. So please review and tell me what you think and if you want more.   
  
Email = Dragonhex@aol.com  



	10. Feathers of Insanity and Settle Those Di...

Okay, sorry about the super long delay in uploading. I nearly fainted when I saw that more than fifty-five people had reviewed! Aaaaaahhhhhh, that meant I should have uploaded it long ago! One thing I didn't mention before was that the 55 should be before me finals, which I just finished. *crosses fingers and prays to pass with at least a 'b'* Anyway, reasons are nothing more than excuses and excuses don't stop the esheep from watching you. (Esheep: Baaaahhhh! *then falls off the edge of the screen*). Please review and accept my most heartfelt apologies. REVIEW!  
  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
  
"Mom, it happened again," Max told him mother.  
  
"Max, you're big enough to change your own sheets," Mrs. Michail informed her son kindly.  
  
"Not that! I'm talking about Eryn," he retorted with a deep blush.  
  
"Eryn? She went to hell again?" the elegant woman asked thoughtfully.  
  
"That's what I said," Max pouted and then left, green-gold eyes flashing in annoyance.  
  
"Dear! Is it too late to re-hire that babysitter?" Mrs. Michail asked her husband in the other room.   
  
****  
  
Something was wrong. Something wasn't right. Those were the two thoughts that filtered through Eryn's groggy, sleep-clouded mind. She felt something soft brush her face, she wrinkled her nose and tried to turn away. That's when she realized that she couldn't move at all.  
  
"What the hell?" she yelled as she attempted to sit up. The straps on her wrists and ankles bit into her flesh and slammed her back onto the cot. Her amber eyes narrowed as they came to rest on a very smug looking Miguel.  
  
"Good morning," he said cheerfully. She glared murderously at him and once again attempted to escape.   
  
"What is this about? And what do you think you're doing, you pervert?" she screamed, thrashing madly.   
  
"Nothing perverted, just twisted and sadistic," he told her winsomely.   
  
"That's so-o-o reassuring," she drawled sarcastically.   
  
"It's not meant to be," he quipped. With that he picked up a feather and held it before her eyes. Her amber eyes widened at the sight.  
  
"You are so not doing that!" she hollered, twisting and struggling with rage and fear. Her ticklishness was something of a phenomenon, as in she was extremely ticklish to the point of collapsing from heart failure induced laughing.   
  
"I so am," he replied smugly and proceeded to do just that.   
  
****  
  
Eryn's amber eyes remained narrowed in anger even after Miguel had finally released her and she had smacked him repeatedly. She was going to get him back even worse, oh yes she would get him back. Tickling had been cruel and unusual punishment in response to being forced to go drag on the annoying one's part. Her stomach still hurt from how hard she had laughed and her skin felt like it had been hooked up to car batteries.   
  
"You'd better sleep with one eye open," she hissed lowly as they walked towards the mess hall. If it were up to her she wouldn't have stayed a moment longer in his company, but she was no idiot when it came to acknowledging her innate sense of misdirection. She was hungry and food came before pride.   
  
"Why? Are you going to hurt me?" he demanded mockingly. She rolled her eyes and then smacked him upside the head.   
  
"I have three little brothers, I can do better than just hurt you," she informed him haughtily, "I can mess with your mind."  
  
"So you have brothers," he murmured looking thoughtful. "No wonder you're so violent."  
  
"I am not!" she retorted as she tackled him. They wrestled for some time before being were interrupted by two other Dragonslayers walking to the mess hall.  
  
"Miguel, are you still fighting with that little girl?" Gatti demanded in wry amusement.  
  
"And getting your ass kicked!" Dallet laughed. The two combatants paused to glare at their spectators.  
  
"Little girl?"  
  
"Getting my ass kicked?"  
  
For the first time since they met the two were in perfect accord. With a cry of outrage they charged the two 'slayers and brought them to the ground.   
  
****  
  
"What happened to you four?" Dilandau demanded upon the arrival of three battered Dragonslayers and one triumphant looking girl. Miguel and Dallet sported matching black eyes and Gatti was walking funny. The only one who seemed to be without damage was Eryn, but that was attributed to the fact that the 'slayers weren't willing to seriously hurt a female. Unfortunately for them she didn't hold the same ideals.   
  
"We had a...dispute, sir," Miguel answered with a resigned shrug.   
  
"I assume it has been settled?"  
  
"Oh, you bet your tight leather pants it is," Eryn laughed as she sat ungracefully in a chair. Dilandau appeared to blush for a second before scowling darkly. Without a word breakfast began and without a word, except for several choice phrases from Eryn on the offered victuals, it ended.   
  
****  
  
Okay, I have it out. Please review because I like them a lot. And as a note, besides REVIEW, I probably won't be able to write anything for some time because I won't be here! I'll be enriching my mind with Shakespeare. Review and maybe I'll hunt down an internet café and send another one.   



	11. Missing Insanity and Air

Well, I have written something, it seems my trip was delayed a couple of days so here is another bit to satiate your literary appetites. Review if you want more and do it soon!  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
Miguel looked up, gray eyes alert, as the door to the room he shared with Chesta and Viole slid open. The annoying girl Eryn stood there wearing an attractive blue dress, one that he had been forced to pay for obviously. He raised an eyebrow as he noted the radical changes the garment had undergone in her care. The skirt was considerably shorter, revealing an indecent amount of leg; not that they were bad legs, quite the opposite, but still it didn't sit well with him for some reason. A small voice whispered in the back of his mind that he was being possessive for no discernable reason, but he promptly beat it into silence.   
  
"What do you want?" he asked her harshly.   
  
"Nothing, just visiting," she told him sweetly, the smile on her face was so innocent that he became immediately suspicious. "Can I come in?"  
  
"If you want," he replied with marked indifference. Her smile brightened to almost blinding intensity as she stepped calmly into the room.  
  
"Nice place," she remarked looking around. He pulled on the last of his arm, all the while he watched her warily. It was obvious that she was up to something.  
  
"Very, very clean. Everything tidy as can be," she commented tracing a finger across the only shelf in the room.  
  
"Thanks. Again I have to ask, is there a purpose to this?" he demanded as he watched her move about the cramped room.   
  
"Sure is clean here, very military of you guys," she continued, ignoring his query. "I bet you'd notice right away if something was...oh I don't know...missing." His gray eyes narrowed at the last comment and warning bells began to sound in his brain. She was definitely up to something.   
  
"I suppose I would," he answered between clenched teeth.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked too sweetly. "That's good for you." With another smile and a little wave she walked out the door. As soon as she left he began searching all his stuff to make sure everything was still there.   
  
****  
  
"Okay, tell me what you took!" Miguel hollered in frustration upon entering the rec. room. Eryn sat there calmly at a table reading a much battered magazine of pain. Upon his loud entrance she began to laugh uproariously.   
  
"Gee, it's been what, thirty minutes?" she laughed, practically falling out of her chair.  
  
"Tell me now or I'll do worse than just tickle you," he threatened, a vein beginning to throb on his forehead.   
  
"Do you really want to know?" she asked coyly, her smile too sweet to be innocent anymore.   
  
"Yes, dammit!" he yelled stalking over to her.  
  
"Are you sure?" she inquired giggling.   
  
"Just tell me!"  
  
"If you want to know you'll have to come closer," she told him coyly. He reluctantly obliged her request, dreading what she would most likely do to him once he was within her range of wrath.   
  
"Come on, I won't bite," she giggled motioning for him to come even closer.   
  
"Yeah right," he muttered as he was forced to kneel beside her if he was to get any nearer.   
  
"I took..." she whispered into his ear, hear warm breath fanning his neck, "Your...air."  
  
"WHAT!" he yelled backpedaling away from her. She squealed and clamped a hand over her ears before cracking up.   
  
"I can't believe you fell for that!" she cried falling to the floor. He stood over her, fists clenched.   
  
"That's it!" he yelled before he began to tickle her. She started screaming in laughter as she tried to escape, but he outweighed her by more than fifty pounds. In the end she apologized through tears of laughter. Miguel felt like it was mostly a hollow victory.  
  
"Hey, I told you that I have three little brothers. I'm a master of psychological warfare," she informed him with a toss of her head. He muttered some obscenity under his breath.   
  
****  
  
Yes I know this one is even shorter than the previous one, but I want to keep my next idea and all its strangeness together. Maybe if people review enough I'll put it up really soon. That is, if it's before I have to leave.   



	12. Random Insanity and Surprise

I'm sighing because I really wanted to get this one out, but apparently everyone is getting tired of reviewing. *runs to a corner and sobs for a few seconds* Anyway ALL of you REVIEW, as many times as is humanly possible because it makes me happy.   
  
  
The Insanity That One Can Cause  
  
  
"I am the new Messiah!" Eryn yelled as she stepped through the door wielding her trademark magazine of pain and a partially eaten loaf of bread. The Dragonslayers and Dilandau spun around to face her, swords drawn as if expecting an enemy attack. Before they could say anything she skipped out of the room again.   
  
She had been doing that all week, randomly interrupting their meetings and yelling crazy things. So far they had posted guards to keep her out but they had proven ineffective against her insane mumbling. She had driven off two previous guards by ranting about cheese and the aliens that lived in everyone's armpits. Yes, she was a master of messing with people's mind.   
  
There really was no purpose to doing that, it was all fun. She just wanted to see how long it would take before one of them asked her why she was doing that. So far none had dared to.   
  
"I probably scare them," she giggled quietly as she mock-saluted a passing soldier. The soldier gave her an odd look and hurried away. She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and continued away in search of her room.   
  
In less than two seconds she had gotten herself hopelessly lost for the twenty-eighth time that morning.  
  
****  
  
Miguel was semi-contentedly walking through the 'melef hanger in the ship when an animal yell sounded above his head. Before he could do anything he was flattened beneath someone. He lay there for a few moments with the wind knocked out of him as the person above him giggled.  
  
"Oops, sorry Miguel," Eryn laughed sitting up, still on him of course. "I was trying to fly."  
  
"What the hell? You were trying to fly?" he demanded in shock, still trying to breathe normally, "What in Gaea makes you think you can fly?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking that I should have a super power, you know," she replied breezily, seemingly happy with not moving off of him. "I have already determined that I don't have x-ray vision, or any special eye power. I'm not any stronger or faster and I can't become invisible, or change my shape. Therefor the only other cool power I could have is flight."  
  
"And why do you want a 'super' power," he asked, almost afraid of hearing her logic or lack thereof.   
  
"I've been thinking of my situation and why I'm here, the only logical reason is that I'm going to develop incredible powers and rule the world. Isn't that obvious?" she said finally getting off his back.   
  
"Sure...whatever."  
  
"Hey, don't laugh. Flying is just throwing yourself at the ground and missing," she informed him haughtily.   
  
"Maybe you should try that off the Vione instead of on me," Miguel suggested evilly. She gave him a look that said 'no way, are you nuts?' and slugged him on the shoulder as he tried to stand up.   
  
"I'm not suicidal, just insane," she replied primly. "Besides I already tried in my room and the bed kind of...broke. So I decided to try from here on someone walking below."  
  
"I've got to go train now, good day and don't kill yourself messily," he told her and began to walk off.   
  
"I thought you only had to train in the morning," she said keeping pace with him.   
  
"A soldier never ceases training even when he has no imminent battles ahead," he lectured in a superior tone.   
  
"A soldier never ceases training even when he has no imminent battles ahead," she mimicked, adding an arrogant sneer. "Can I come and mock your ineptitude while I watch you?"  
  
"Does it matter what I say?" he returned in irritation.  
  
"Nope," she replied with a cheerful, if somewhat devious, smile.   
  
"Fine, but if I have to train so will you," he told her grabbing her arm.  
  
"Me?" she squeaked as he dragged her after him. "Wait a moment!"  
  
****  
  
A shrill cry rent the tension in the training room as the gleaming sword flew in a slow arc through the air and clattered onto the floor.   
  
"Take it easy! I've never handled a sword before!" she hollered at Miguel, sweat beginning to trickle down her temples. Her hand smarted from when the sword had been expertly struck from her by Miguel. She hated losing.   
  
"Obviously," he sneered as he retrieved the sword. "You wouldn't survive a day without someone's protection."  
  
"What? Hello, I handled those thugs awhile back pretty well, thank you mister sword master," she retorted rubbing her hurting hand.   
  
"If they had had swords you would be sold to slavers or worse," he told her as he handed the sword in conflict back to her hilt first.   
  
"Go to hell," she spat, unable to think of a suitably insulting come back, a rarity for her.   
  
"Why don't you?" he demanded hotly.   
  
"I already have and it's here with you!" she yelled taking a swing at him. "Why don't you just say it huh? Just tell me to go tell hell and I'll be gone!"  
  
"What are you talking about now?" he cried expertly dodging her attack.   
  
"Isn't it obvious? So far every time someone tells me to go to hell I disappear," she told him as she tried to kick his legs out from under him. "First was my brother and I came here. Next was you and I went back home. So why don't you say it? I'll be gone! Out of your hair and this whole freaking planet!"  
  
He evaded her kick and deftly caught her fist, as she was about to slam it into his face. When she tried to use her other hand he grabbed it too so she was effectively disarmed, except for her head. She tried to do a skull bash but once again he managed to avoid being struck. All her exertions did was make her tired and sweaty.  
  
"Just say the words and then I'll go home," she hissed, trying to pull free. She was angry for some unknown reason. She felt the anger coursing through her blood and clouding her mind. She hated the no-privacy bathrooms and the horrible food, and the constant barrage of chauvinist insults.   
  
"Maybe I don't want you to," he whispered. She looked up at him, amber eyes startled.   
  
Before she could say anything he kissed her softly on the lips.   
  
****  
  
Oh, once again I prove my cruelty by cutting you off. How will she react? You won't know unless I get a ton of reviews by 06/20/01 or until I come back from Ashland, whichever comes first. So REVIEW if you want to read it by 06/21/01.   
  
Another thing is that if someone or some PEOPLE would like to do a MSTing for this I would be so happy. I just love reading those, even if people think they suck. I would be ecstatic if, like, five different people would write their own and then posted them. I would read and review and jump for joy! Of course no one has to if no one wants to. *sniff*  



	13. Confusing Insanity and More Random Viole...

I'm back from Ashland and an intensive course of Shakespeare. Apparently everyone reviewed like mad after the fact. *shakes head in resignation* Don't get me wrong! I LOVE reviews, they make the literary world go round. *dances in order to prove point, then trips and falls*  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
A very stunned Eryn stepped back from the stunning kiss. She stared into Miguel's gray eyes searching for something she didn't quite know. Actually she had no clue what to do because nothing like this had ever happened to her. With that in mind she did the only thing she did know how to do.   
  
She punched him in the chin.  
  
He cried out and staggered back, yet remained standing. Then she, in a completely deranged and confused state of mind, grabbed him and pressed her lips to his for the briefest of moments. Then, with a horrified gasp, she pushed him away and fled from the room, a deep blush staining her cheeks.   
  
"Oh my god! Oh my GOD!" she yelled barreling past a group of more than startled Dragonslayers. When they didn't move out of her way fast enough she slugged them and continued running.  
  
Her mind was a tumult of contradictory emotions. Why had he done that? And why had SHE done that? Why, oh why, oh why? It was nice...more than nice, but something like that had never happened to her. If truth be known she had never been kissed during her fifteen years of existence. She knew she was pathetic. So why now?   
  
As she ran she pressed a trembling hand to her mouth and then promptly ran into a wall.   
  
****  
  
A wry smile twisted Miguel's lips as he gingerly touched the bruise forming on his chin. Girls, would he ever understand their eccentricities? If Eryn was an example of the fairer sex then he doubted that he ever would. He'd just get a headache trying.  
  
Speaking of headaches, his head was still ringing from her blow.   
  
"Why did I do that?" he whispered softly. He was afraid that he knew the answer.  
  
****  
  
"..."   
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Will you two just say SOMETHING!" Dallet yelled slamming his hands down onto the table between the two statue-like people. Eryn shrieked in fright and automatically lashed out.  
  
"Oops, sorry," she apologized as Dallet writhed upon the floor, hands between his legs.  
  
"Why the hell did you do that?" Miguel demanded angrily standing up. The two glared at each other as an awkward tension filled the room.  
  
"A little help here," Dallet cried trying to remove his hand from under Miguel's foot.   
  
"SHUT UP!" the two combatants yelled in unison.   
  
****  
  
Short I know. But hey, I just got back and I was forced to stay till three in the morning for the past four nights by my roommates and then had to get up at eight. DON'T MESS WITH THE SLEEP DEPRIVED! Please review and I promise that the next one will be longer. On my computer screen this one's only one and half pages long the next will be at least two whole pages. Thank you once again and REVIEW.   



	14. Wandering Insanity and Jealous?

Hi, not dead...yet...anyway, thank you for review and I have decided to write another chapter. Again, I would really, really, really, really, really like someone to do a MSTing for this, if anyone knows what that is. If you don't ask me or look at the humor section of any series and there's sure to be a few. Review and I might write another faster, probably not but there's always the chance.  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
Things were getting pretty awkward. It was all that kiss's, or rather kisses', fault, though Eryn steadfastly denied being responsible for any of it. Since she had selective memory it made sense to her. Miguel and her couldn't talk without those long silences were both of them struggled to find something to talk about, usually it didn't work. Most of the time they just stood around acting like neither one noticed anything wrong. She was on the verge of tearing her hair out.  
  
To top things off she had once again become lost, her ability in that department had become something of a legend among those aboard the Vione. So she wandered around aimlessly, acting like she knew where she was going and failing miserably.   
  
Miguel had gone out with the other 'slayers and their leader, the psychotic Dilandau, without telling her anything. Not that she cared of course, because she didn't. Really, she didn't. Still, he could have given her some warning.  
  
"Jerk," she muttered under her breath and turned down a random corridor hoping it would lead her to someplace that she would recognize.  
  
Amber eyes scanned the hall and found that it didn't trigger any sort of recollection on her part.  
  
"God damn it!"   
  
****  
  
"God damn it!" Miguel cried when it became apparent that Eryn had once again wandered off on her own. He had hoped, albeit he knew better, that she wouldn't do that, of course he had never really thought she had much common sense to begin with.  
  
"I'm guessing you lost a certain violent girl?" Gatti queried as he walked past the pissed off looking Miguel.   
  
"I didn't LOSE anything, she wandered off again," he growled running a hand through his brown hair, gray eyes seething.  
  
"Sure. I think one of the guards saw her heading off towards the restricted area, if that helps any," Gatti told him with a parting wave.   
  
"Towards the...Damn it all!" He paled thinking of what lay in that direction. Why did that girl have to seek out danger with such tenacity?   
  
Muttering an assortment of expletives under his breath her charged off in the indicated location. When he got his hands on her he was going to strangle her, if she didn't get herself killed before that. With that thought in mind he started running faster.  
  
****  
  
"Really? That's so interesting," Eryn said enthusiastically, despite the needles in her arm. "So you like study fate or something?" The man nodded solemnly and checked her vital signs.   
  
"Are you comfortable," he asked as he went off to do something else.   
  
"Fine. So why do you need my blood?" she asked shifting slightly on the surgical table.   
  
"I'm interested in seeing whether your blood is different from that of Gaean stock," he told her softly. She could tell he wasn't the talkative type, but that didn't really matter because he was pretty hot.   
  
"Eryn!" a voice called from somewhere nearby. She recognized the voice as Miguel's.   
  
"Jerk," she muttered under her breath. But you like him, a little part of her mind giggled. She smacked that part repeatedly until it crawled away in tears. At least it had shut up.  
  
"Eryn!" Miguel called bursting into the room. He paused for a moment and took in his surroundings like a good little, or not, soldier. Actually there really wasn't anything little about him. Then her mind wandered into dirty territory and she had to jerk it back into some semblance of propriety.   
  
"Oh look who it is. Mr. I'm-going-to-leave-without-saying-why-or-where-just-because-I'm-some-big-macho-guy-eventhough-I-get-my-ass-kicked-by-a-girl," she called sarcastically, amber eyes narrowed with annoyance.  
  
"Hello, Miguel. I'm assuming Dilandau made you her...companion," the guy she had been talking to earlier commented emerging from the shadows. Miguel stiffened, his face deathly pale. Was he afraid? She thought that that was amusing.   
  
"My Lord," Miguel said stiffly, his whole posture radiating intense dislike. "Are you alright?" he directed that to her, worry and anger mingling in his voice.   
  
"I'm fine," she informed him imperiously, then stuck out her tongue at him.   
  
"Good, then get off of that," he told her and grabbed hold of her arm, the arm with the needles.  
  
"Aaaaaaaah! Don't touch me there! I have needles in it you idiot!" she yelled kicking at him with her foot.   
  
"Sorry, but you don't want to stay here any longer than you have to," he growled grabbing the tubes connected to the needles and yanking everything out. She gave a piercing scream and slugged him.  
  
"Perhaps it would be best if you two leave," the hot doctor man commented with a trace of amusement.   
  
"Thanks for everything. It was fun," she called as Miguel dragged her kicking out of the room. "If you touch that arm again I'm going to KILL you!"  
  
****  
  
So how was it? I want to get tons of reviews, maybe around 95, before I write again. This is because I'm very busy right now and will continue to be for the next four weeks. So REVIEW and someone, anyone, please do a MST for this story. It would make me very, very happy if someone would. Puuuuleeeeeze?  



	15. Slapping Insanity and Quiet

Okay I had to put this one out because I was inspired! For those of you who are interested in doing a MSTing for this, I now you're out there, I found the a great one called something like "MSTing3000" or something like that in the humor section for Escaflowne. Great stuff people, I highly recommend that fifty billion of you do a MST for this so I can laugh my brains out, that makes me write more if you're curious.  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
It was the slap that was heard 'round the world. It was soon followed by many, many more. There was a briefest of pauses and then the slapfest resumed. The combatants were an enraged Dilandau and a pissed off Eryn, both their faces were marked with red hand marks.   
  
With a rather impressive array of curses Dilandau withdrew his sword. Upon seeing this sharp, pointy metal thing that could cause harm and death, Eryn issued a rather embarrassingly girlie scream and ran from the room. Since she had more experience in running away she had soon outdistanced the enraged silver-haired one.   
  
She was rounding a corner, Dilandau still a ways back, when a hard arm snaked out and jerked her into a room. For the second time in a few minutes she screamed like a little girl and began to viciously beat the person who had dragged her from the hall.   
  
"Stop it! OW! Will you just stop it?" a frustrated yet familiar voice cried.  
  
She paused mid punch and cried, "It's you! Well, for once I'm actually glad to see you!"  
  
"For once? Gee, I sure feel special," Miguel muttered.  
  
"Don't go all pouty on me, you'll ruin your good looks," she told him flippantly. He regarded her with gravely mocking gray eyes. She blushed for some reason and looked away. For one instant it had been their interaction had been like normal, like before the kiss.  
  
"So I have to wonder two things," he said moving away from her, she felt mildly insulted at that, "Why are you running as if your life depended on it and who is it that you're running from?"  
  
"The answer to both those question is your dear LORD Dilandau," she replied heatedly.  
  
"Tell me you didn't aggravate him? Please tell me you didn't!"  
  
"I could lie if it makes you feel better."  
  
He let out a frustrated groan and strode back to her. The look on his face wasn't promising at all; he seemed on the verge of slapping her himself.  
  
"Don't get mad, I didn't mean to the first time," she explained with a nervous glance about the room. Idly she wondered if she wasn't safer with a murderous Dilandau. "He called me 'girl' again and some other mean stuff because I kinda happened to...well, I got lost again and well...I wandered into his room and he was...getting dressed, but I didn't mean to honest. I thought it was mine. You guys should really get some signs up or at least 'you are here' maps. If you had then maybe-"  
  
The end of the sentence came out muffled he stopped her out pouring of excuses. More precisely he did it with his lips.   
  
Her amber eyes widened to impossible proportions before fluttering closed. For once in her life she didn't fight back and she didn't slug someone. She was quite inexperience with the whole kissing deal, but she did know that it felt really good and that she didn't want to stop.   
  
"Hmm, I guess that does work," Miguel murmured pulling away. Her eyes slowly opened and she gazed around dazedly.   
  
"Wha...what works?" she asked, her mind and senses still reeling.   
  
"Keeping girls quiet. All you do is kiss them," he told her with a laugh. Color burned across her cheeks and for the second time that day she delivered an atomic slap.   
  
"JERK!"  
  
****  
  
Okay so there it is. REVIEW and this time the quota's gonna be higher, perhaps 100? Maybe not, maybe it'll be until someone MST's a good portion of my chapters. Who knows, I do but you all don't. *laughs evilly*  



	16. Bloody Insanity and...

Here's another for all you wonderful reviewing people out there! One hundred! I'm so happy! Thank you all many, many, many times! Oh and this one is the longest every!  
  
  
The Insanity One Can Cause  
  
  
  
Something was wrong, something had happened. Soldiers and medics were running haphazard around the place, bumping into people and things without a care. Several times Eryn had been knocked into random obstacles without receiving a single apology. Suffice it to say she was pissed off and worried.  
  
"What's going on?" she demanded grabbing a random soldier passing by. He grunted something and jerked away from her. "Thanks, that was SO helpful! NOT!" she screamed after him. Apparently she was going to have to look for herself.  
  
****  
  
"Oh my GOD!" she cried upon seeing the bloody mess the hanger had become. The thick, coppery odor of blood was almost palpable, mixed with some other noxious scents. Men were groaning weakly, carried by on stretchers or, if the injuries were too severe, left to die amid the blood and gore.   
  
She had never seen such horror in her short life. Is this war? She wondered weakly. How can people do this? Of course the answer was so simple that she refused to acknowledge it.  
  
She felt as though she was about to hurl. Clamping a hand across her mouth she fled the scene. She didn't care if she was being a coward; all she cared about was getting away from the smell and the horrific cries. Unfortunately she couldn't keep the bile down and threw up noisily in a corner. No one noticed and for that she was grateful.  
  
God what about Miguel? She knew he had been in the battle, in fact he had told her this morning that he was going out for a minor skirmish. Minor skirmish? There were dead and dying men all over the place and a six inch layer of blood and other, thicker, fluids coated the floor. Fervently she hoped he wasn't one of those out there, not because she liked him, not really, she was just concerned because she had become...used to his presence.   
  
"He's okay," she told herself with a confidence she didn't quite feel. She felt a foreign prickling at the corners of her eyes and viciously wiped them with the back of her hand. She could handle this; she wasn't some little girl. First she would clean up and then search for him. If he was fine he would laugh at her.  
  
****  
  
"Hey, you, where's Miguel?" Eryn demanded of one of the Dragonslayer people. She couldn't remember their names for the life of her, fortunately it had never come to that.   
  
"He's in the infirmary," the guy told her pointing the way.  
  
"Thanks...What was your name?"  
  
"Dallet," he replied sardonically.   
  
"Yeah, thanks. So is he like checking on the injured?" she asked as she walked away.  
  
"He IS one of the injured."  
  
"WHAT?" she demanded spinning around to face the 'slayer. "I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say he was injured?"  
  
"No, he's at a party getting drunk. Don't you people ever listen? He's been seriously injured," Dallet informed her.   
  
"What kind of leader do you have? Letting his men get hurt?" she demanded angrily. "How can you guys go off like that? What do think to accomplish?" She knew she was becoming hysterical, but she didn't really care. She was going to confront that jerk, not that she knew what she was going to say, but she knew that something cutting would come.  
  
"Don't talk about Lord Dilandau like that. He is a better leader than anyone can possibly understand," his tone was so cold and serious that she paused to give him another look. "Don't look so surprised. He may seem excessively cruel, and maybe he is, but each and every one of us would gladly give our lives for him, Miguel is no different. You can't possible hope to comprehend the depth of our loyalty to him or why."  
  
"What? Are you guys some kind of fanatics?" she asked furiously. "All I know and all I need to know is that under his leadership Miguel got hurt!" Upon realizing what she said, she blushed darkly and looked away in embarrassment.   
  
"So you like him?" Dallet asked with something close to amusement, "Should have seen it in the beginning. You two always acted so odd around each other."  
  
"I do not," she snarled, it would have had more affect if she hadn't blushed even deeper.   
  
"Sure," he chuckled despite the gravity of the situation. "Listen, if you want to help matters go and help the physicians take care of him. Don't go off half-cocked to confront Dilandau. You won't accomplish anything that way."  
  
She stared at him for a moment, saw the earnest intentions in his eyes, and nodded in affirmation. Waving her thanks she walked off towards the infirmary. Her only comfort was that he hadn't been left at the hanger to slowly die. If he had someone would be seriously hurt.   
  
****  
  
Apparently a little carpenter was trying to pound through his skull, or at least that's what if felt like to Miguel as he slowly woke up. He felt as though he had spent the last five days drinking nonstop and now the cumulative hangover was wreaking vengeance upon his brain. Blearily he looked around, noting the more than normal austerity of his surroundings. If he wasn't mistaken then he was in the...  
  
Funny, he didn't remember being injured, just the fighting, the fighting and the blood. Gods there had been so much, covering everything in a crimson sludge, filling the air and strangling the lungs with its heavy fragrance. He had spilt a fair bit of it apparently, if the bandages covering his body were anything to go by.  
  
A weak chuckle escaped his lips as he gingerly sat up, grimacing as a thousand different aches and pains made themselves known. The aftermath of fighting was always the worst, the injuries and then the nightmares. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered but not for long. He was a killer and couldn't be anything else.   
  
A soft sound alerted him to another presence in the room. Peering through the dimly lit room he saw a slight person curled up in a rickety chair. He frowned and slowly slid off the cot, ignoring the agony such motion caused. He had an idea of who it was, but he couldn't believe it. As he neared there was no way he could mistake the figure for anyone else.   
  
"Eryn?" he whispered with pleased incredulity. Gently he shook her shoulder. He wasn't surprised when she emitted a piercing shriek and lashed out at him, fortunately he had anticipated this and was well out of range.   
  
"What? You! Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!" she exclaimed indignantly.   
  
"I wasn't sure it was you," he remarked casually.  
  
"What are you doing up?" she demanded, completely changing her attitude. "You're injured and should be sleeping." He could tell she was glaring at him, but he also knew she was concerned for him, though she pretended otherwise.   
  
"What were you doing here?" he asked, mildly amused.  
  
"Oh, I just sat down for a moment and the next thing I knew you were waking me up," she replied with feigned nonchalance. "So. How are you feeling now?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"That's good," she remarked, looking everywhere but at him. The silence was awkward but neither seemed to know how to break it. After a while she began to fidget and started to pick at the hem of her skirt.   
  
"I saw it!" she exclaimed suddenly. "The blood! There was so much and all those men left there to die! It was horrible, worse than that it was so..." She looked about wildly, remembered fear evident in her haunted amber eyes.   
  
He didn't know what to say, he faced that sort of thing every time he picked up his sword. He expected it actually, but she wouldn't he realized. No her life was so much different from his own. The only violence she knew were the mild beatings she inflicted upon others on occasion and those were nothing compared to what he had done to full-grown men.   
  
"Is this war? Is this what you people do to each other?" she demanded.   
  
"Are you telling me there's no war in your world?" he asked mildly.  
  
"Of course there's war, but civilians never have to see it. Besides its always in other countries," she replied absently. "You killed again didn't you." There was something to accusatory in her voice that made him want to deny it, but he wouldn't lie to her. Was it because he actually cared what she thought about him?  
  
"I killed today, I nearly was killed today," was his vague reply.   
  
"I don't like it," she said softly, glancing at him, eyes full of sorrow. "It's horrible."  
  
With a sudden clarity he realized that she couldn't stay, no matter what he wanted. She couldn't handle the level of violence that war inflicted, it would be cruel of him to force her to out of selfish desire. Yet he wanted to be selfish, he wanted her to stay.  
  
"Eryn?"  
  
"What?" she asked softly, sensing something in his voice.  
  
"You don't belong here, I shouldn't force you to stay," he told her an odd catch in his voice.   
  
"What?" she repeated desperation entering her voice. "I want to stay here. I mean..."  
  
He shook his head, he had to do this he knew. For her sake, no matter how he felt. He'd play the selfish hero for her again, even though it hurt like hell.  
  
"You don't understand how much I want you to stay, but this war...It kills everything," he murmured.   
  
"No. I'm not going," she said defiantly. "I'll hurt you so bad if you continue this conversation wherever it seems to be going. You'll be in so much pain that your injuries right now won't even be comparable."  
  
"That's a wonderful sentiment," he said wryly. She was ever amusing.   
  
"I'll do it," she threatened crossing her arms. "I was just a little freaked out is all. I can handle anything this world has to throw at me."  
  
"But you shouldn't have to handle anything," he told her seriously.  
  
"Don't get all sexist on me, I can manage things quite nicely," she retorted tartly. What was he doing? He was allowing her to convince him to let her stay.  
  
"No, this if for your safety," he told her.   
  
"Don't say it, don't you dare say it!" she yelled, punching him in the arm. He winced but withheld his cry of pain.   
  
"Eryn..."  
  
"No!" she shrieked grabbing his arms, shaking him a little, "Don't say it, Miguel!"  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"Wait I L..."  
  
And she was gone. He sensed that he would never hear her finish that sentence, whatever it was.  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
Yep, this time it's for real. This is the last chapter so don't even think of asking for another. My secret goal was to finish a story by a hundred reviews, of course by the time I post this there'll probably be more, but no matter. I'm going to be working on my others stories from now on. There is a small chance that a sequel will come out during the fall, maybe earlier of later, but that depends on if anyone writes a MST for this. If people still don't know what that is email me and I'll explain in detail, or at least refer you to a couple of really good ones. Again thank you for reading and feel free to review even though this is the end. If anyone does a MST for this series please tell me because I absolutely adore them! And thank you everyone who supported me with this arduous endeavor. I'm kinda sad it's over but life will go on I guess. Thanks again! All you people are great!  



	17. Beginning the Insanity Again with Maturi...

The Insanity One Can Cause 2

"No." She walked away, raven locks swinging with the sway of her hips. The forlorn man watched her go. As she disappeared around the corner the leaden sky overhead burst and thick drops pelted the concrete. The man stood there looking shocked and pathetic.

"Cut."

"Now what?" Eryn Michail demanded storming over to the director. The haggard young man sighed and gestured to the soaked actor yelling at the special effects crew.

"They messed up the rain sequence again," he sighed yanking off his headphones. The woman rolled her amber eyes and stalked offset, black heels beating out an angry tattoo.

"Miss Michail, I have lunch ready," her understudy cried running up carrying a white paper back. 

"Food, my one true passion." Greedily she grabbed the bag and grabbed the turkey club with anticipation. Carefully she unwrapped it from the plastic wrap and dribbled on mustard. "Ah bliss."

"You'll get fat." Her white teeth bit into air as the sandwich disappeared from her grasp. She stared at her empty hands in confusion for a few moments before whirling around to confront the thief. Brandon Meyery took a huge bite out of her precious lunch. Without hesitation she hauled back her arm and delivered a stinging blow to his face. He coughed and began to choke.

"Jerk." With a toss of her head she strode away, leaving her understudy to try and dislodge the offending bit of sandwich from the actor's windpipe.

"Miss Michail, please help me. Ma'am?"

The door slammed shut. The temperamental actress had left.

****

Eryn grimaced as her stomach issued its rather angry demand for satisfaction. She patted it and promised that she'd treat it to a slice of pizza and a milkshake. Her personal trainer would have a fit, of course, but she didn't particularly care. After all what was the point of being famous if you couldn't do what you want? At least more than before in her case.

"Crap ass movie," she muttered. Her agent had gotten her the role of a bitchy heroine looking for love in all the wrong places. She hadn't wanted to do it, but she hadn't had any other offers at the time and she had been bored.

She fingered the rose-colored crystal hanging from a golden chain about her neck. _He_ hadn't given it to her, but the memories were still there. She refused to get sentimental over him and his brusque blow off for 'her own good.' Yet her mind traveled back to him every so often, especially after a particularly trying day. And his lips, those kisses that had, as a fifteen-year-old, frightened her beyond reason. If only she had been slightly more mature in that area. She issued a rueful laugh and tucked the necklace inside her shirt. 

Life sucked it totally and completely sucked, at least in her opinion. Especially when alone a tiny portion of her traitorous mind reminded her. And it wasn't for a lack of offers either. She just hadn't wanted a shallow relationship that so many of her peers fell into. Even Brandon had tried to get with her, but she saw him for the jerk he was and that was that. Or it would have been if he had gotten the clue that she loathed his very existence. 

Glaring impotently at nothing she opened the door to her trailer. At least there she would find some respite from her depressing thoughts. Nothing like a cheap fifties' horror movie to shut out reality.

****

"I don't believe it, Kendra," 'Mike' hissed as he slammed her back into the scaffolding. Eryn 'Kendra' cried out without needing to act. The impact set her back afire as the metal poles dug into her flesh. "Tell me you don't want me."

"I don't…" Brandon slammed her back again and she emitted another yelp of pain. "Stop, you're hurting me."

"Say it, say it now." 

"I said stop it. That hurts," she yelled struggling against the grip on her arms. She had stopped acting and now fought against him in earnest. She cut a panicked glance at the director only to find him giving her the thumbs up. "I'm not pretending, dammit." 

Her head slammed into the harsh metal and the whole structure issued a agonized groan. He let her go and she slumped to the ground holding the back of her head, feeling the walnut sized bump forming. As the metal colossus collapsed around her she had not time to dive out of the way.

Four hundred pounds of steel ground her into the cement floor of the studio.

****

Streaks of bloody crimson shot across the sky and dripped into her throbbing brain. She groaned, rolled over and greeted the entire contents of her breakfast. Choking weakly she crawled away from the vomit and collapsed upon the…soil?

Bleary amber eyes inched open to take in the verdant lushness around her before falling closed again.

****

I didn't like where the other was heading so I changed the sequel. It's a bit more mature, a little darker, but I'm trying to maintain some of that good old Eryn charm. Please, please, please, please review. I hope this meets with your approval.

PS…she's older now, like earlier twenties or so.


	18. Strange Insanity...

Okay, I should have updated and it's been a year, but…I really need ideas to continue…oh well. I've updated so people don't hunt me down and try to kill me. Hope you like it and if you want to, and I do want you to, review. I'm so bad…I should've updated already…waaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiii!

The Insanity One Can Cause 2

The room, strangely sterile, boasted a large window. He peered out of it curiously. Strange monoliths of glass rose from the concrete ground while attenuated trees stretched across large, paved pathways. Strange mechanical beasts roared down the paths at unnatural speeds as the humans, as far as he could tell, carefully walked on smaller paths that ran parallel to the larger roads. 

"Mister Lavariel, I see you've regained consciousness." Miguel whirled around, the muscles in his wounded chest screaming in pain. A young brunette stood there dressed in austere white uniform. A strange device beeped lazily on the metal table next to his cot.

Something wasn't right here, he thought as he tried to identify anything familiar. He had been in many infirmaries and, despite their incredible technological advancements, all the instruments displayed a primitive sort of brilliance. The room he inhabited held nothing that he had ever heard of being devised in Zaibach. 

"Where am I?" The woman clucked softly in practiced sympathy and moved efficiently about the room as she checked various instruments and charts.

"A touch of amnesia I see. Nothing to worry about, sir, it should go away in a few days at the most." As she passed closer to the bed he reached out and grabbed her delicate wrist.

"What the hell happened?" The nurse, he assumed from her uniform, glanced at the chart she was holding and then regarded him with wary brown eyes.

"You had an accident at the studio you were working at a week ago," she told him. He blinked eyes fuzzy from disuse. 

"Accident…studio?"

"Yes, you were filming a new movie apparently and some scaffolding fell on you and your costar." Movie? He rolled the strange word around in his mind. What was that? And why would he be working on it? He knew about fighting, not technology.

He let her wrist go and glared suspiciously about the room. 

"I want to speak with Lord Dilandau." The nurse stared at him in gentle confusion.

"I'm afraid no one by that name has come to visit…Would he be a friend or relative?"

"No, never mind. What country is this?" he asked in desperate hope. Perhaps he had been captured by one of the enemies. Of course everyone knew about Lord Dilandau so why didn't she? One thing was for certain: he wasn't in or anywhere near Zaibach anymore.

"I don't think your memory loss is that bad," the woman told him sourly, obviously thinking he was merely joking.

"Just tell me."

"It's the US, silly."

"US?"

"The United States of America." She noticed his blank look and sighed. "Where you were born? Seattle Washington, it says so on the chart."

****

Something unbearably cold pressed down upon her fevered brow. She groaned and tried to escape the startling cold. A gentle hand held her head, as the pressure of the damp cloth increased.

"Please, miss, hold still."

Eryn jerked into consciousness with a speed that left her feeling nauseated. Her body throbbed painfully, as if she had been beaten head to toe with bags of sand. Silver sparkles crawled across her wavering vision. Blinking rapidly she tried to focus on the tanned face before her. 

"What the hell?" she demanded in a shrill voice upon noticing the distinct feline features of the creature tending her injuries. The creature, female from the looks of it, jumped back in surprise, dripping cloth hanging from clawed fingers. "Who are you? Where am I? And what happened to the sound stage?"

"I believe I can answer the first two questions." The cat-woman placed the cloth in a small wooden bowl and then took a chair by the wooden bed. "I'm Avarian and you're in my house. You've been injured terribly."

"I can see that. So, Avarian, where, as in geography, am I?"

The cat-woman looked thoughtful, as if calculating distances in her mind. Eryn waited more or less, definitely less, patiently. "Fairly close to the boarder of Zaibach, I think."

"What did you say?"

"I live close to Zaibach. Yes, near all the fighting, but they haven't bothered my kits or me."

"Zaibach?"

"I think I said that already. I think in a few weeks you'll be well enough to reconnect with your regiment."

"Regiment?"

"Well, I saw the armor you were wearing and I naturally assumed, by the color, that you were in an elite regiment of Zaibach's infantry." 

"What does this armor look like?" Eryn demanded hoarsely. She had the most disturbing inkling of what was going on. Silently she prayed it not to be so. Zaibach? It could only mean she was back in Gaia, but where was Miguel?

"It's black and blue. Are you a Dragonslayer, miss?"

****

What's going on? I'm sure you'll figure it out pretty. If you do or want to know then you can email me and tell me. If you're wrong I'll tell you and if you just want to know I might have to say: "That's a secret!" {Xelloss: Copyright infringement!} Anyways please review. Gracias!


	19. Perhaps More than Insanity

Ha! I updated before the year was over! I feel like…crap…but yeah anyways that don't matter. Who wants this story to continue? {…cricket…cricket…} Review and I'll see that it does. Why am I being so mean as to demand reviews? Because I can…well, you want the truth? Didn't think so. {laughs maniacally} Can I get the count up to 140 reviews? Please? It would make me very happy, but then you don't *sniff* care, probably. Do I have to send telepathic cookies?

The Insanity One Can Cause 2

Avarian stared at the young woman in consternation. She adamantly refused to don her armor and rejoin her regiment. The cat-woman had tried, unsuccessfully, to convince her that desertion was worse than fighting, especially if she was caught. 

"No." Eryn crossed her arms and shook her head. There was no way in hell she was going to put on that obviously chaffing armor. She knew from personal experience that leather might look cool, but it stuck to awkward places and made the slightest exertion caused sweat to cake in even more awkward places. 

"If they catch you here, they'll hang both me and my kits." The children in question crowded fearfully about their mother, clinging to her rough skirt. 

"What would they do to someone impersonating an officer?" Eryn retorted. She didn't want to cause the widow and her children grief, but she also didn't want to meet the wrong end of an axe. She wondered if executions happened the same way as in the movies. She fervently hoped not. 

"You are not impersonating anyone. You have military identification." The cat-woman gestured to the silver tags hanging from a chain about the young woman's neck. Eryn rolled her amber eyes and blew a straggling lock of hair out of her face.

"Look, I'm grateful for you hospitality and all that, but I'm not from around here. Hell, I'm not even from this planet."

"What are you talking about?" Avarian regarded her guest with worried green eyes. The kits continued to glance worriedly between the two women. 

"I'm from Earth. You call it the Mystic Spoon…Loom…"

"Moon. You're from there? Don't be silly. Obviously you still have a touch of amnesia." Avarian sighed and glanced around her humble shack. "I suppose you can stay a little longer, but, mind you, I won't be responsible if they come looking for you. I have enough trouble with the normal humans around these parts."

****

Miguel stared at the boy before him in puzzlement. The boy, Max, claimed to be his brother. For the life of him he couldn't remember ever having a brother, much less one named Max. 

"The doctors said you have amnesia. That sucks." The look in his gold-green eyes stated that he didn't believe the doctors for a second. "Anyways mom hasn't remembered that you're in the hospital so I borrowed some money and flew down here. How are you?"

"Fine." Miguel didn't know what to do. Not only was he on the Mystic Moon, but people knew him or someone very like him. The very logic, or illogic, of it all left him feeling like a small insect on the back of a horse known as the cosmos. 

"Yeah…so I guess you shouldn't be driving and since I just got my license." The boy began to laugh a little crazily. Miguel didn't know what driving entailed, but by the way his 'brother' laughed it couldn't be good. 

****

Eryn couldn't help smiling as the littlest of Avarian's children, Zave, offered her a doll made of twigs, rags and string. She thanked the little cat-girl and joined her in a game of make believe. The other two began climbing upon, their claw-like nails scratching her a bit. Normally she couldn't stand children, believing them to be evil incarnate, but these three didn't seem so bad. 

"Can we play with your sword, Eryn?" the oldest, Tavars, demanded as he wrapped his arms around the scabbard of 'her' sword. 

"And have your mother eviscerate me? I don't think so." She carefully stood up, letting the kit clinging to her back time to scramble off, and took the sword away. The little boy pouted cutely and stared longingly at the shelf she placed it upon.

"What does evi-sar-ate mean?" Njal demanded.

"Well, ask your m–"

A shrill cry and the angry shouts of several men prevented the young woman from finishing her sentence. A perplexed frown twisted her mouth as she strode towards the rickety door and pushed it open slightly. 

"Crap." Her hostess, Avarian the cat-woman, lay in a fetal position on the ground while several scarred soldiers stood around her. She recognized their color-devoid uniforms as those of Zaibach's grunt soldiers. How she remembered she couldn't say for the life of her.

Suddenly she remembered what Avarian had told her a week ago. She began to curse quite vividly under her breath as she rushed to the wooden chest containing the armor. She still couldn't believe it was hers, but if wearing it would prevent any further harm from coming to the family she'd wear it. 

"Hey, you guys help me with this stuff," she told the kids. They glanced between her and the direction of their mother's cry uncertainly. "Hurry up. I'm going to help your mother now." The three nodded obediently and helped her put on the various parts.

"Geez, this stuff is heavy. How can they move or fight in it?" She flexed her shoulders to settle the shoulder guards in place. A surprise look washed across her face as she found the whole thing to fit perfectly, even to the extra space in the chest area for certain anatomical objects that designated her as female of the species. 

"What are you going to do?"

"Are you going to save mommy?"

"Give me the sword. I'll take them all on." The last was from Tavars. 

"Uh no. I'll the sword and try not to get us all killed." She grabbed the said instrument and strapped it to her side. "Do I look like a soldier."

"You look like a girl," Tavars told her honestly. 

"Yeah, I was shooting for that as well. Okay, here goes nothing." She gave the kids the thumbs up and thrust open the door. 

The soldiers stared at her in such surprise that she could barely contain her laughter. Fortunately her years of struggling to become an actress paid off and she maintained her 'tough as nails' character in place.

"What the hell do you idiots think you're doing and to a helpless woman no less." The men's eyes traveled from her head to her toes and back, taking in the uniform and sword at her side. "Well?"

"Are you…are you Dragonslayer Eryn?" one of the men asked hesitantly. Surprise flashed across her face before she could control it. 'Dragonslayer Eryn'? They knew someone with her name? How weird was that?

"What do you think?" She hoped her noncommittal answer would keep them from asking any more questions. She had to wonder what the penalty was for impersonating a Dragonslayer. 

"Then it is you. What are you doing with these…creatures?" A dark light flared within her amber eyes and she graced them with a rather sinister smile. 

"These _people_ rescued me when I was injured and I owe them my life." She bent down and helped the frightened cat-woman to her feet. The woman was trembling badly, but obeyed Eryn's veiled hint to get inside the house. 

"Well, then they should be rewarded of course. Would you please accompany us back to the Vione? Your commander would most likely want your full report as soon as possible."

"I will, but if I find you've harmed my hostess and her children in any way," she informed them with a boreal sneer. "I will personally see that your reproductive capabilities are severely impaired. I will skin each one of you alive and feed your carcasses to the wild animals." She would have continued, but the men seemed to be on the verge of fainting. "Let's get going."

"Yes'm," the cowed men murmured meekly. 

"Hey, if you don't give me any crap, I'll say a good word about you to the higher ups." They stared at her blankly and she heaved sigh. 

****

Eryn stared at the room and frowned. The escorts bade her goodbye and informed her that her commander would be by to see her in a few minutes. Now she could look about the room that was supposedly her own. She could definitely see little touches here and there that seemed like hers, but the very austerity seemed more along the lines of a…soldier.

"I'm not a soldier, dammit. I can't stand the sight of blood," she muttered out loud as she stalked across the room, tossing off parts of her armor. Finally she had stripped down to a pair of tight leather pants and a fairly loose, sleeveless blue shirt that laced up the front. At least she had a bra and that made a world of difference in her mind. 

She found a large mirror at one end of the room and paused to check out her reflection. The person staring back at her definitely wasn't her, or even close.

****

"Eryn?" Miguel whispered as he stared at the mirror in the bathroom his 'apartment'. The young woman staring back at him from the reflective surface could be no other. Those fiery amber eyes, longish black hair and defiant chin belonged to only one person. A hollow feeling entered his stomach and he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears.

Seven years, he had sent her back to her own world for her own safety seven years ago. Often he had wondered what kind of woman she had grown into and if she had found someone to spend her life with. Seven years and she had changed very little. He almost felt relieved to know that life hadn't put unnecessary lines upon her face or a bitter light in her eyes.

"Miguel?" her soft voice sounded strange, as if it welled up from some dark cavern. He reached forward and rammed his fingers against the glass.

"Miguel? Did the amnesia make you forget how to use the bathroom?" Max demanded from outside. 

"No, hang on." He turned back and she was gone. "Dammit. Eryn."

****

"No. Crap." She slammed her palm against the wall next to the mirror and cursed. Miguel hadn't been there. She'd been hallucinating or something. An uncomfortable tightness gripped her lungs and rooted deep in her stomach. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and concentrated on breathing. Seeing him had shocked her beyond anything she had experienced before and then he was gone.

A whisper of a nose behind her alerted her to the presence of another. She wiped her eyes, hopping the light wouldn't reveal the redness about her eyes, and turned.

****

Ohhh, suspense. I have inspiration so, if you review, I will get the next one out by…perhaps this weekend? My goal is 140. Will you help me reach my goal? Perhaps I might even kick my cliff-hanger phase. Go Escaflowne!! 


	20. What the Insanity Is Going On?

Okay, I said after 140 and I'll hold true to that. I'd like to give a very special acknowledgement to a certain reviewer who went crazy and reviewed a bajillion times. 

Chichirui gets:A dozen telepathic chocolate chip cookies hZaph (: :)

A thumbs up C

And one donut £

As for the rest of you, won't you please review? I'm not a horrible person am I? Don't answer that, or if you feel you must then answer it in a review…yes…excellent…

The Insanity One Can Cause II

"I hope you can adequately explain why I had to continue without my best 'slayer for a week and a half," the silver-haired commander demanded, a dark fire burning in his garnet eyes. Eryn searched her memory for the name of the man that stood before her. The last time she had seen had been seven years ago and he had been the leader of the group Miguel had been a part of. She knew his name started with a 'D', but other than that she wasn't sure.

"I was severely injured…sir," she replied, remembering at the last minute to add on a properly subservient address. Should she let him know that she wasn't this Dragonslayer Eryn person that he obviously thought her to be? She could tell him that she merely had amnesia and then slip away when the real Dragonslayer Eryn came. 

"And you didn't think to even send word?" She cut a glance to right hand and found it flexing ominously. She had been on the receiving end of his slaps once and it hadn't been pleasant. Of course she had slapped back and the whole thing had escalated until he had drawn a sword and she had run away. She wondered if he remembered that. 

His eyes traveled up and down her body with unnerving intimacy. She felt a shot blush flare up in her cheeks. She didn't know what was going one, but he seemed to know her…in a very different manner. 

"I…" The rest ended in a rather muffled sort of shriek. He had crossed the distance between them and delivered a smoldering kiss. She continued to squeal and shriek against his mouth, while admitting he knew his way around a kiss. One hand gripped her hair and forced her to remain somewhat stationary, the other had found its way under her loose shirt. 

In the back of her mind she could hear herself talking about the whole situation with the vivacity of a director. "Man grabs woman and shuts her up with kiss. Man renders woman incoherent with kisses and caresses. Next scene, the bed." That brought her straight back to reality and into the realization that the next scene had been reached.

She landed on the bed and he followed. In her short time as an actress she had been involved in some pretty steamy scenes, but that's all they had been. And they certainly hadn't been with a silver-haired man who drew swords on helpless girls who had the misfortune to walk in on him while he was changing years ago. 

Squeaking and whimpering incoherently, she tried to scramble off the bed like a frightened ten-year old at the movie Aliens. Unfortunately, he had a firm grip about her waist and her hair. 

"What the hell is wrong?" he demanded hotly, finally getting the message that she wasn't going to cooperate. 

"What's wrong?" she shrieked flailing against him. "You walk into my room without a hello and maul me. That's what's wrong." He gave her a cold look, the grip on her hair tightening till she had a hard time keeping from crying out in pain.

"I don't maul and you certainly never complained before." Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she gapped at him. 

"Be...before?"

"In fact you were the one who approached me first. Now you've changed your mind?"

"Are we talking about the same person here? Because I certainly don't remember approaching you about anything and sure as hell wouldn't anyway." His glare became even more dangerous and she felt the beginning tingle of pure terror. "No offense, sir." 

"Fine. Report to the 'melef hanger tomorrow evening. Training in the morning until then." He pushed away and stalked from the room. She remained where she was and breathed.

"That was…odd."

****

What's going on? I have no clue! But I felt obligated to add some Dilly kissing. Not very explicit because I don't do that. Won't the rest of you review? I'm so sad. 


	21. Cheating on Insanity...

Hola people, I'm back with another wonderful…sort of…kind of…not really but hey…chapter for you all! Please review and make my life wonderful…and make me want to write more. My goal for this whole story is to somehow manage to get to two hundred by chapter thirty. I don't know if that's possible, but it is my dream. Don't you just love dreams? Especially when they come true. 

The Insanity One Can Cause II

"What's wrong with you?"

"The amnesia…"

The two men stared at the smoking ruin before them. A distinctly malodorous scent clung thickly to the back of their throats.

"You know you aren't supposed to put metal in the microwave," Max fumed. The firemen, who had nearly knocked down the apartment door, were long gone. Now only Max and Miguel remained to clean up the mess that had once been a shiny white microwave.

"I forgot," Miguel dissembled lamely. His supposed brother shot him a dark look and picked up a trash can. With the aid of a wooden spoon he shoved the mess in.

"Something's up with you, Miguel. You were strange before, but now you act as if you don't know how to work anything. First the TV and now this, what's going on?"

Miguel looked away and felt the confusion he had been living with for the past few weeks come back in full force. He knew he was on the Mystic Moon where Eryn came from and apparently he had a life here as well. A life he had never lived or at least remembered living. Hell, he had a family with younger siblings and a career in something called the movies. Everyone he met seemed to assume he knew what he was doing. Yet how was any of this possible?

"I'm going to take a nap," he mumbled walking out of the kitchen.

"A nap? It's only nine o'clock in the morning." Max gave him a strange look and set the trash can down. "Are you feeling okay? I know my flight leaves tomorrow, but I'm sure I can postpone it."

"No, I'm fine. I still need to recover is all."

"If you're sure, man."

"I am."

"Okay. I'm going to the store. I should be back in an hour. Since you're so out of it right now I might as well stock your fridge so you don't starve." Miguel glanced at his 'brother' and the apparatus to which he referred. The fridge served the same purpose as the gas-powered iceboxes he was used to. 

"Hey…Max," he called out as the young man walked past him towards the front door.

"Yes?"

"What if I told you that I'm from another world?" Max stared at him for a moment, his face completely blank, then he burst out laughing.

"I already knew that, idiot."

"What?"

"So can you hook me with some hot Martian women?"

"'Martian'? Women?"

"Well, if you're gonna be like that then I'll just go shopping."

"I'm from Gaea."

"Sure. Send my regards to the little green and may the force be with you because, Luke, I am your father." Before Miguel could form a reply or even being sorting out the confusing references to things he didn't understand, Max had left. 

"My name isn't Luke," he mumbled in confusion.

****

Eryn stared at the instrument of death in her hand and paled. Her amber eyes traveled to her exasperated opponent and she grinned sheepishly. 

"How does this thing work again?"

"Eryn, stop acting like an idiot. Are you honestly telling me you've forgotten how to use a sword?" Dalet demanded. 

"Not so much forgotten as never knew how."

He growled in anger and swung his sword towards her head. She shrieked and stumbled backwards. The blade whistled past her face and she flinched. A hot stinging radiated from her cheek and something warm and wet dripped down. 

"My gods. Eryn are you okay?" Dalet cried rushing to her side. She pressed a hand to the wounded cheek and drew away a palm bearing a single streak of crimson. 

"I told you I don't know how the hell to use a sword." She grabbed the collar of his uniform and drew him close to her angry face. He blanched and began to stammer out apologies. When he finally stopped babbling she punched him in the face.

"Do that again and I'll kick your ass," she snarled as she pushed him away. He rubbed his injured jaw and flinched.

"What's going on here?" Dalet and Eryn turned to face their enraged leader.

"Lord Dilandau." Dalet dropped to one knee and bowed subserviently.

"Oh, that's right. I remember his name now. Hey." The young man beside grabbed her arm and pulled her down next to him.

"Aren't you forgetting you manners?" he growled lowly so as not to be heard.

"No. I never had any."

"Silence, you morons." The two immediately ceased their quibbling. Eryn had to acknowledge that the pale young man had a very commanding presence. "Your answer?"

"We were training as you ordered," Dalet answered with humble bob of his head. "And we had a small accident."

"We wouldn't have if you had listened to me."

"Dalet leave us." The Dragonslayer bowed his head and left the room. Dilandau, she finally remembered his name, turned back to her still glaring. "Show me?"

"Excuse me? Sir."

"Show me the 'small accident'."

"It's nothing, but if you want to see it. Sir." She tilted her head and brought the shallow cut into the light. "It probably won't even leave a…"

Without warning he slapped her hard across the wounded cheek.

"How could you be so careless?" She winced and felt more blood spill down.

"I've had enough of this crap," she yelled, finding enough self-control to not retaliate. "I'm not this Eryn girl you think I am. My name may be the same, but I know nothing about swords, except that they're sharp and hurt, and I've never slept with you. Hell, I'm not even from this world. I was born in the US on a planet called the Earth, okay? If you slap me one more time I might have to kick your ass."

He stared at her, his face a smooth mask. The only evidence of his burgeoning rage was the seething in his garnet eyes. 

"And I suppose you don't have a birth mark?"

"Birth mark?"

"The one high on the inside of your right thigh. If I remember correctly it's shaped like a candle-flame."

"How…?" She felt the blood drain from her face for a moment and then surge back up brining with it a very dark blush. Not only did she have a mark on the place he mentioned, but also it looked exactly as how he described it. 

"I think I've proven my knowledge."

"Yeah well…that doesn't mean anything," she mumbled as confusion wreaked havoc with her mental processes. How could he know? She wondered mutely. She had only met him the first time yesterday after seven years and never showed him her body, touching didn't count. 

He laughed cruelly, gloved hand gripping her chin, and pulled her in for a painful kiss. 

"Come." 

Miguel, she thought sorrowfully even as she acquiesced to the pale man's demand. 

****

Oh yeah, there are gonna be ramifications for this. Poor confused Eryn. She's not really cheating on Miguel because they never went out to begin with. Can't wait to write the next part so please review and make me happy. 

PS. I can't believe this but…I actually wrote a small lemon for the following scene, which will be excluded because I'm sure you can all guess what happened. *blushes hotly* I can't believe I did that. Don't worry, I won't inflict my bad attempts at graphic scenes on you all. I just had to do it for myself and we'll leave it at that. Review!


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